The Aftermath
by Firewalker711
Summary: This story is a spin off from the very last T.T. episode of "Things Change," which took place several months AFTER the "Trouble in Tokyo,"movie; made during season four. (According to Cartoon Network.) When the T.C. episode finally aired in season five, I was annoyed over the way ended. So. . .I decided to do something about it. ;)
1. Chapter 1

This. . .is where my entire T.T. saga begins.

This story is a spin off from the very last T.T. episode of "Things Change," which took place several months AFTER the "Trouble in Tokyo,"movie; made during season four. (According to Cartoon Network.)

When the T.C. episode finally aired in season five, I was annoyed over the way ended, as well as many others. And in the 21 years of my writing experience, I've always had the desire to improve or add to certain episodes. Mostly animated shows. Especially if I didn't like the way they turned out. I'd always add my own version to theirs, to make it one complete script. And normally, it was for my own private satisfaction. Only now, I get the privilege of sharing this with everybody else. It'll be like you're watching their part of the episode, and then another part will ensue. . .MINE. For all of you who were discouraged over the whole thing, I promise that if you read this all the way through. . .You will NOT be disappointed! So. . .Hang on to your seats, and enjoy the ride!

(My version starts here. . .)

With the added help of Beastboy, the five Titans managed to defeat the unknown creature that they were having so much trouble with. Tired and hungry, the group of them trudged off to the same pizza parlor Beastboy had just come from with Terra. In fact, the very pizza he'd ordered for them was still sitting on the table. Only now, it was cold and very rubbery. Seeing this immediately caused Beastboys appetite to vanish. Sitting back in his chair, all he could do was twiddle with the straw in his glass, staring off into space. As the others silently ate, they looked from him to themselves with worry. Especially Robin. Inside he knew he had to confront him again for leaving the team a second time, and almost putting them in a bind. Looking toward Cyborg, Robin then looked at Beastboy and asked,  
"So. . .Where is she?"  
Not really wanting to talk about it, Beastboy shrugged then muttered, "I don't know. Still at school I guess."  
"A good place for a Titan." Robin sharply replied. "And for _you_. . .Instead of being with _us_ where you belonged!" Now Beastboy could feel himself getting very annoyed.  
"Dude! I wouldn't have left you guys if it weren't important! But I had to try and convince Terra one more time. . ." Looking down at the table, he sadly shook his head and replied, "I brought her here. I even took her to the Tower and showed her her old room." He added, seeing the surprised expressions on their faces. "But even after all that she still didn't want to face who she was." Leaning forward very casually, Robin looked him square in the eyes and replied, "That's probably because it wasn't her!"  
"It _was_ her!" Beastboy replied, voice beginning to tremble with anger.  
"No. . .I don't think so." Cyborg answered, trying to be as casual as possible. "I just think you wanted Terra back so much, that you got her mixed up with some other girl."  
For Beastboy, having his own best friend doubt him was entirely the last straw. Quickly he got up and slammed his chair so hard up against the table, that it actually made both girls jump.  
"Hey. . .Take it easy, man." Cyborg said, trying to calm him down.  
"No. . you take it easy! I'm not mixed up! And I'm not going crazy! But I know one things for sure. For a team, none of you care about the way I feel!" Actually hurt over that remark, Starfire tenderly gazed at him and replied, "Beastboy. . .All of us are greatly concerned for you. Of course we care."  
Softening up to the gentle tone in her voice, Beastboy shook his head.  
"No you don't. Nobody ever takes me seriously, and I'm sick of it!" He hollered, glaring more toward Raven, who immediately matched his angry gaze with one of her own.  
"Well some of us would, if you wouldn't act like such a clown. . ." Now for the first time ever, Raven watched as his arms slowly folded in a defiant manner.  
"Oh, you're right. Maybe I should be more like you , Raven. Cold, grouchy. . .and sarcastic!" Beastboy snapped out, watching as her eyes widened with surprise. "At least then I'd get noticed!"  
For a minute, Raven was so taken back over his unexpected retaliation, that she could only look away with a stunned expression on her face. But she wasn't the only one thrown off by his uncharacteristic behavior. Marveling at him, Cyborg slowly shook his head.  
"Dude. . .What is your problem?" Feeling the hurt seethe over the rage, Beastboy shook his head.  
"Nothing! I'm just tired of being treated like a joke! The one time I need you guys to support me, and this is what I go through?!" Now glaring at Robin, he hollered, "You want proof? Fine! I'll show you once and for all!"  
And with that, he quickly spun away from the startled group. Knowing this time they'd better follow him, Robin looked toward the others and replied,  
"Come on. . .Let's get this over with!"

After a quick fifteen-minute stride, the group of them walked into the schools lobby just as the evening bell sounded off. One by one the students began to pour out of their classes and into the hallway. "She's over there. . ." Beastboy said, approaching one of the many classroom doors. Like clockwork, Terra walked out the door with an arm full of books.  
Still in her school uniform, the mere common sight of her had all their mouths falling open with disbelief. She looked nothing like what they remembered.  
"I can't believe it. " Starfire gasped with surprise. "Could it really be her?"  
"Whoa. . ." Raven numbly whispered under her breath. At the same time, Cyborg nudged a very dumbfounded Robin and whispered, "Dude. . .that's either Terra, or a twin."  
Now they watched as Beastboy stepped in front, blocking her from going any further. Rolling her eyes with exasperation, Terra shook her head and sighed.  
"Man. . .Don't you ever quit?"  
"No. Not this time. . ." Beastboy replied as the others approached him from behind. Looking at the group of them, Terra let out a derisive chuckle. "What? We're enrolling superheroes now?"  
This caused Robin to step on the side of Beastboy.  
"Do you have someplace private where we can all talk?"  
"Look. . .I really don't have time for this, right now. I need to be getting home."  
"Home? Where are you staying?" Giving Starfire a questionable glance, she replied,  
"At a dormitory. Why?"  
"Please. . ." Robin pled. "We won't take much of your time. It'll only be a minute. I promise."  
Thinking it over, Terra sighed then replied, "Alright. But this is the last time!" With that she spun away from them, and began to head down a flight of stairs.

This took them down into the basement of the school. Setting her books down on the bottom steps, Terra turned to the group and folded her arms. "Alright. Whatever you have to say, make it quick because I don't want to get locked down here!" Staring hard at her, Robin asked, "You don't remember any of us, do you?"  
"Sure. . .You're the Teen Titans. . ." She said with a nonchalant shrug. "Everybody knows who you are."  
"But you don't just know us, Terra. You're one of us." Robin stressed, watching as she glared at him.  
"No, I'm not!" she defensively hollered. "You have the wrong person!"  
"Well. . .There's only one way to find out." Cyborg replied, as he unclicked the DNA analyzer off his belt.  
"What are you doing?" Terra suspiciously asked as he began to scan it over her.  
"I'll be just a second. . ." He said, pulling it away. By the way his eyes widened, Robin already knew the answer. "Dude. . .It is her." This confirmation had Robin quickly gazing at Beastboy whose arms tightly folded. "Told you!" he hissed through his teeth. Overjoyed with the news, Starfire threw her arms around Terra without thinking.  
"Terra!" She cried, hugging her tightly. "It is so good to see you again!" Terra's response to her was very frigid. Before Starfire realized what was happening, she pushed her away. "What are you, crazy? I said I don't know you!"

Seeing the crushed expression on Stars face was enough for Raven. Eyes narrowing with spite, she stepped forward and said, "Either you don't. . .or you won't . But, there's only one way to find out."  
Now before Terra knew what was happening Raven reached out and gripped her by the arm. Intently she began to focus in on her innermost thoughts, forcing Terra to share them with her. As Raven probed into her mind, she began to see flashes of Beastboys face, of him and Terra at the fun park, Terra's room at the tower, Slade, the intense battle Terra had with her, and the other Titans, the volcanic eruption. . .blackness, then nothing.  
Gasping, Terra yanked her arm out of Raven's grip and spun away from her. Clutching her head in her hands, Terra found herself completely swept away by the memories that continued to resurface against her will. But that wasn't the only thing. From deep within, she could feel the powers that had been dormant for so many months beginning to stir. So much so. . .that a low rumbling began to occur through out the basement, rattling the pipes, and shaking the foundation. Panting uncontrollably, she shook her head.

"No. . . No ! I won't let it happen. I won't let it happen!" she whispered, as the vibrating gradually came to a halt. Now when Terra spun back towards the startled group, her eyes glowed the brilliant yellow that they all knew so well. Then just as quickly her blue pupils returned flashing with anger, and for the first time, recognition  
"Why are you doing this to me?! Why can't you all just leave me alone?!"  
"Terra. . ." Robin gently replied, now stepping up to her. "Why are you denying who you are?"  
The mild tone in his voice calmed her just enough for tears to fill her eyes.  
"Because. . .I don't want to become that monster , again!" she hissed in a trembling voice. "Are you satisfied?!" Through her inner turmoil, her stinging gaze found Beastboys.  
"You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? You just had to interfere. . ." Shaking her head she glared at him. "Well, I hate you!" she hollered, as a devastated expression crossed over his face. "I hate you! And I don't ever want to see your face again! Leave me alone!" She hollered, now backing away from them. "All of you. . .Just leave me alone !" Thereafter Terra turned and ran up the stairway, until she'd disappeared completely. Through the stunned silence, Beastboy felt as though his heart had been ripped from his chest. At the same time, Robin full of regret turned to him and shook his head.  
"Man. . .I'm-"  
"Save it. . ." Beastboy whispered in a cracked voice. As he quickly turned and walked away from the others, Raven knew that somehow things really weren't going to be the same anymore. And for the first time ever, the thought of that actually bothered her.

For the rest of that evening Beastboy was nowhere to be found. And when he didn't show up by nightfall, the others really began to worry. By then the environment inside the Ops room was silent, and very gloomy. Even for Raven's taste! From the panoramic window, she could see the shimmering lights of the city, and the faint view of the Golden Gate bridge. Over and over again she replayed what happened in her head. And the one thing she couldn't shake, was the devastated expression on Beastboys face. Seriously. . .If wasn't one thing. . .it was another. . .and another and another! Putting her head down she turned and headed out the room. As she passed the depressed group, Robin asked, "Where you going?"  
Looking at him out the corner of her eye, she quietly replied, "To get some air. . ."  
Knowing a little better, Robin cocked his head at her and asked, "Well, when you find it. . .can you let us know?" Catching on, Raven gave him a tiny smirk and muttered, "Sure."  
And then without another word she set off, honestly not knowing what she was getting herself into!

To be continued. . . .


	2. Chapter 2

For Raven, flying in the darkness of the night gave her such a rush. Taking on her raven form, she began to soar over the coastline. With her eyesight being a lot keener, she was able to fix in on every shape below. And in no time at all she spotted Beastboy sitting on the edge of the shoreline, staring out at the Golden Gate Bridge. Hearing the flapping noises, he looked up just in time to see her land on a rock next to him. He watched as Raven retransformed back into her attractive human shape.  
"Well. . .This is a surprise." He muttered, looking at her out the corner of his eye. "You _lost_?"  
"No. . ." She replied, ignoring his sarcasm. "I came to check on you. Are you alright?" Now she watched as his bitter gaze slowly found hers. "Do I _look_ alright?"  
"No. . .you look a little freaked out to me. And honestly. . .I'm not used to seeing you like this."  
Looking away from her, Beastboy let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, well. There's a first time for everything!" he snapped, angrily skipping a rock across the water. Beginning to feel more and more awkward, Raven asked, "Well. . .is there anything I can say? Or do?" Slowly his eyes shifted on her, narrowing into a glare of complete disgust.  
"Yeah. . .you could _sell it _someplace else! Because in a couple of days you're just going to be treating me like a jerk again! So spare me, alright?!" Now for the first time a hurt look flashed over Raven's face.  
"Hmph. . .And you called _me_ cold?" She muttered, desperately trying to keep her emotions under control. Just as she went to spin away, Beastboy caught her by the arm and gently turned her around.  
"Wait. . ." he whispered, watching as she gradually looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry. . .I didn't mean it."  
"Forget it. . ." Raven replied, shaking her head. "You're right. I know I'm not the easiest person in the world to get along with." Hesitating, she shyly looked up at him and said, "But this is not an _act_, Beastboy. You know I wouldn't be here, if I didn't care."  
Her unexpected show of compassion stunned him so much, that tears began to well up in his eyes. Not wanting her to see them, he quickly turned from her. From behind Raven watched as he wiped them away. "Do you know what it's like to want somebody to come back, and when they finally do, you wish they never had?" he asked as she silently listened. "I never thought I'd feel that way about Terra. But it hurts more now that she's here, than when she was gone. Because not only won't she have anything to do with me. . .but to say that she _hates_ me?" Fighting with all he had not to break down and cry, Beastboy angrily choked out. "I wish I'd never met her!"  
"Oh, come on." Raven replied, now getting on the side of him. "You know you don't mean that. . ."  
"Yes I do. " he insisted, turning back to her. "It seems like everyone I care about either insults me, or pushes me away. And I can't take it, anymore! I'm tired of being hurt! So you know what? I'm gonna stop trying because it ain't worth it!"  
Knowing deep down that she was in fact a big part of his discouragement, Raven gave him a very troubled glance and replied, "I don't think that's a good idea. . ."  
"Why not?" Hesitating, she could barely look him in the eyes.  
"Because. . .just when you feel like giving up on certain people, things can change."  
For a minute Beastboy was so taken back, that he could only stare at her in a daze. Not used to this steady attention, Raven bashfully looked away from him. "Besides. You don't want to end up like me."  
Slowly beginning to forget about his own problems, Beastboy found himself growing more concerned over hers. "Hey. . ." he whispered, as she stared into his eyes. "There's _nothing_ wrong with you."  
Giving him a tiny smile, Raven nodded and replied, "And there's nothing wrong with you, either." Thinking it over, she then added, "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but. . . I prefer you the way you are." She said as his head slowly cocked at her with disbelief. Seeing this caused her eyes to roll with embarrassment. Sighing, she replied, "Yes, I know I have a weird way of showing it. . .but I really do."  
She blushed, as he warmly smiled at her. Feeling more and more timid, she cleared her throat and whispered, "You have. . .quirks in your personality that I lack. That's why I get so annoyed with you most of the time. But I wouldn't want you to change. You are who you are for a reason. So don't change for _her_, me, or anybody else." By then she'd found the courage to look into his eyes.  
"Just be yourself. Ok?"  
Completely swept away by her kind words, Beastboy's head slowly began to shake. "Wow, Raven. . .Do you realize that this is the most you've ever said to me at one time?"  
Realizing that he was telling the truth, Raven smiled and said, "True. But as you said, there's a first time for everything. . ."

Although Beastboy returned with Raven to the tower, he still couldn't bear to face anyone. Instead he headed for his room where he stayed throughout most of the night. For Raven, the impact over everything hat had happened had her restless. Unable to sleep, she put on her cloak, grabbed a book, and headed for the Ops room.  
She wasn't far into her reading when she heard a light purring noise from below. Lowering her book, Raven was surprised to find herself staring down at a fluffy green house cat. Immediately she knew it was Beastboy, watching as he stared up at her them cute green eyes.  
Giving him a tiny smile she whispered, "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"  
Now he stood on his hind legs, putting his front paws on the sofa. Knowing what he wanted Raven sighed, then patted the cushion.  
"Come on, then." Without any hesitation he sprung forward and timidly approached until he was lying down on the side of her. As she resumed with her reading, Raven found herself beginning to gently scratch the back of his neck. Purring loudly, he snuggled up against her, resting his head in her lap. It wasn't until this moment that Raven realized how desperately Beastboy needed her affection. To be held and cared for, even if he was a cat. And just this once, she wouldn't deny him that.  
Within the hour he had fallen fast asleep. And apparently he wasn't the only one. By then Raven was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open. So. . .she would rest. But only for a moment.  
But that moment ended up being half the night. And when she woke up, she found herself listening to the sounds of a heart beating against her ear. This caused her head to lift, and her mouth to slowly fall open with surprise. For the cat that she held on to, had transformed back into human form. . .and was now holding on to her!  
And by the way she found herself cuddled up against him, she actually wondered if she didn't give in to his embrace while she was asleep!  
But now that she was awake. . .it was an entirely different story!  
Desperately, she tried to figure a way out. The problem was with her being on the inside of the sofa, and Beastboy being on the outside, how could she possibly climb over him without waking him up?  
Oh, what in the world did she get herself into?!  
And then, as if he sensed it, Beastboys eyes slowly drifted opened shifting down at her widening ones. For a few timeless seconds. . .no words were said. As he stared down at her, Raven began to realize how close they _really_ were. With their faces being only inches apart, she began to wonder. . .if he would actually have the nerve to. . .  
(Oh, boy. . .) she thought to herself. Now she could feel her heart beginning to pound against him. Slowly a devious grin crossed over his face, and one word was said. "_Meow_?"  
Suddenly, it was as though hearing that snapped her back into reality. Eyes artfully narrowing, she replied, "I don't think so. . ."  
Now she attempted to move, but with his arms wrapped around her, it was impossible. This caused her eyes to roll with embarrassment.  
"Uh. . .Could you get up?" Looking at the way they were, Beastboy mimed,  
"Are you sure?" In that instant, he watched as a black aura surrounded Raven's head, followed by that annoyed look he knew so well.  
"Not unless you want me to throw you off this sofa!" She sharply replied. Knowing better than to push her, Beastboy quickly released his bear tight grip, and stood up. "Alright. . .You don't have to get physical." he mocked as she quickly got up and turned away from him.  
"Goodnight. . ." she replied.  
As Raven walked away, she didn't see Beastboy lean back once again. Folding his hands behind the back of his head, he smiled and said, "Hmph. . .I'll say." Now he watched as Raven hesitated, then slowly shook her head. What he didn't see was the flustered look on her face, nor the crafty little grin that followed.


	3. Chapter 3

Streams of sunlight poured through the panoramic Window of the Ops room, causing Beastboy to lift an arm over his face. As he slowly began to wake up, he could hear the sounds of voices coming from inside the kitchen. This caused him to sit up a bit, to find Robin at the stove and Starfire at the table.  
Flopping back down, his mind was in a state of confusion. But the longer he lie there, the more he began to recall WHY he was there in the first place, and _who_ was there with him. This caused his elbow to slowly lower, now recalling _everything_that had happened between him and Raven. Eyes widening, his head slowly began to shake.  
"Oh, man. . ." he whispered, rubbing a hand over his face. "I can't believe I acted like such a- Ahhhhhhh!" he hollered, jumping to the unexpected sight of Cyborgs big form hovering right over him. By the startled look on his face, he was just as surprised as Beastboy.  
"Dude. . .I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. You been here all night?" Gathering his wits about him, Beastboy sat up and replied,  
"Sure looks that way, doesn't it?" From the kitchen, Robin and Startfire saw him sit up.  
"Beastboy?" Starfire called rather surprised. "Oh, friend. Forgive us for waking you." She said as he began heading in their direction. "We did not know you were there."  
"That's ok. . .I didn't know I would be _here_, either."  
By the annoyed look on Beastboys face, Robin could tell he was still pretty upset. Figuring he should make the first move, he turned from the stove with a large plate of pancakes. "Uh. . .hey. I made breakfast for everybody." He said, setting it down on the table.  
Trying to lighten the mood, Starfire quickly agreed. "Yes. . .sweet cakes with syrup." She joyfully replied. Using her fork as a harpoon, she jabbed about five at one time, then threw them on her plate. Now they watched as she piled on the butter, syrup, then topped it off with a glob of mustard!  
"Ewww. . ." Cyborg muttered, watching as she took a huge bite. "No matter how many times she does that, I'll never get used to it."  
"Simply delicious. . .Would you like some?" She asked, shoving a fork full on Beastboys face. Completely unenthused, his hand slowly went up. "Uh. . .no thanks. . .I'm not hungry."  
Marveling over his actual refusal of food, the other three looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces. Too wrapped up to notice, Beastboy asked, "Has anybody seen Raven?"  
"She's up on the roof." Starfire sadly replied. "She has not come down yet. Perhaps someone should tell her that breakfast is ready?" Not even giving it a second thought, Beastboy turned and began to walk away from the troubled group. "I'll go. . ." he muttered.

From the top of the tower Beastboy found Raven sitting in her usual spot, facing the bay. By the way she levitated off the ground, he knew she was inn the middle of her meditation. Not wanting to interrupt her, he quietly stood in the doorway and watched.  
For Raven, this morning routine of reflection had become more like a battlefield of the mind. Aside from pondering what had happened between her and Beastboy, she felt strangely stirred up on the inside. As though something weren't quite right.  
"Come on, Raven." She whispered in a frustrated voice. "_Concentrate_." Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply and began to chant, "Azarath. . .Metrion. . .Zinthos. Azarath. . .Metrion. . .Zinthos. . ." she repeated, now beginning to grow a little calmer. "Azarath. . .Metrion. . .Zinth- "  
Her last word was broken from the sensation of something light falling against one of the her crossed legs. Opening her eyes, she looked down to see a tiny red object reflecting off the cement. Picking it up, Raven was shocked to find that it was her red chakra gemstone. Letting out a startled gasp, her other hand flew up until it was pawing at the now empty setting on her forehead. For Raven, this was indeed another first. After everything she'd endured over a 24-hour period, this was the last straw. Scoffing under her breath, she muttered, "Great. . .Just great. What else could go wrong?"  
"Um. . .Raven?" The sound of that voice caused her eyes to widen, then tightly close. As Beastboy slowly approached her from behind, Raven could feel her stomach beginning to knot up. Something she'd never experienced before.  
"Can I talk to you?" For the first time, she actually found it difficult to look him in the eyes. Gazing out at the bay, she whispered,  
"Sure. . ." Out the corner of her eye, she watched as he sat down next to her. After a moment of silence he asked,  
"Have you been out here long?"  
"Just most of the morning. . ." She replied, tightly clutching the gemstone in her hand. Feeling more and more awkward, Beastboy scratched the top of his head and said, "Look, Raven. I um. . .I just wanted to apologize over the way I acted when we were _alone_, last night. I know I crossed the line. . .And I'm sorry." he whispered, watching as her eyes slowly found his. "After all you done for me, the last thing I wanted to do was disrespect you. Especially _now_. . ."  
Touched by the sincerity of his words, Raven shook her head and whispered, "Forget it. I know you weren't yourself. . ."  
"That doesn't matter. . ."  
"Yes, it does." Raven persisted. "You needed me last night, and I was there. In a couple of days when things get back to normal, we _are_ going to get on each others nerves again." Overcome by her pessimism, Beastboy slowly shook his head.  
"Geeze, Raven. Is that what you really think?" Giving him a hopeless shrug, she replied, "That's the way it is. You know as well as I do, that we don't have _anything_ in common. And I don't think that will ever change." Now she watched as an irritated expression crossed over his face.  
"Really? That's not what you said _last night_." He specified, watching as her gaze widened a bit. "And where did all that _talk_come from? hmm? Are you going to say that you weren't yourself, either?"  
Actually caught off guard by his question, Raven looked away from him. Before she had a chance to say anything, Beastboys communicator went off. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled it out. Flipping it open, Robins face popped up on the screen. "Hey. . .Is Raven there with you?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
"I think the two of you better get down here."  
Flipping the communicator closed, Beastboy stood to his feet. Turning around, he looked down at Raven to noticed the sad expression on her face. Not wanting it to be that way, his hand slowly reached down for hers. Looking up at him, Raven realized what he was trying to do, and met him halfway. Slowly taking him by the hand, she found herself being pulled off the ground. As she stared into his eyes, Beastboy smiled causing her tension to lift a little bit.  
"Hey. . .As long as we're there for each other. . .that's all that counts. Right?"  
Swallowing down a lump in her throat, Raven managed to give him a smile through the turmoil she was really feeling. "Right. . ."  
As they turned and headed for the Ops. Room, Raven began to wonder if things really could be different. . .


	4. Chapter 4

Within minutes Beastboy and Raven returned to the Ops room, to find Robin waiting for them in the doorway. "We have trouble. . ."  
Giving him a suspicious gaze, Beastboy asked, "What kind of trouble?"  
Hesitating, Robin shook his head and replied, "I think it's better if you saw for yourself." He said pointing toward the big plasma TV screen.  
_"Early this morning, seismic activity was reported to have happened at the Mawataki School, causing some of the foundation to collapse on the students. According to witnesses, several students are still trapped beneath the wreakage. A rescue operation is now underway.) The reporter said, as students were being carried out on stretchers. (Scientists are also on the scene trying to locate the source of the tremor. They're not yet certain, but they suspect that there may be a new fault underneath the city block." _  
Knowing better, the five looked at each other with stunned expressions  
on their faces. "Terra. . ." the all muttered at the same time.

Police cars and fire trucks surrounded the entire city block. In front of the school the entire area was taped off. Although no oursiders were allowed to enter, they made an exception when the Titans arrived.  
As they walked into the lobby more loud rumblings could be felt underneath their feet. Looking toward the other Titans, Robin said,  
"We need to make sure no other students are trapped inside the school. So while I check the library, the rest of you will separate and search the two main halls. . ."  
"Uh, Robin. . ." Cyborg interrupted. "Do you really think that's a good idea? I mean, my sensor's giving off some very unstable readings. It seems that the worst part is coming from the library."  
"I know. . .which is why it would be safer if only one of us went in there."  
"Are you sure?" Starfire asked with some uncertainty. Before Robin had a chance to reply, Beastboy peevishly cut off. "Come on, Star. You're just wasting your time. Robin doesn't listen to anybody but _himself _!"  
Caught off guard by his unexpected outburst, Robin was actually speechless. Silently he watched as Beastboy quickly turned and walked away in an angry huff. Staring hard at his back, Raven looked from him to Robin, as though not knowing what to do. Shaking her head, she gave the startled group a defeated shrug, then turned until she was following Beastboy down the hall.  
At the same time, Starfire saw the hurt expression on her best friends face, and grew terribly concerned. "Oh, Robin. Are you ok?" Putting his head down, he muttered, "Sure. . .I'm fine." Knowing a little better, Cyborg reached out, gently putting a hand on his shoulder.  
"Hey. . .Try not to take it personally, alright? B. isn't himself, right now."  
Slowly Robin's head lifted, until he was looking him in the eyes.  
"You're right. Around _me_, he isn't. . ." Now without another word, he slowly turned and walked away from the two of them.

The sadness Robin felt was short lived, turning more into fascination as he emerged through the library's double doors. For a minute he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Full of awe, Robin found himself gaping up at the blue sky, through a massive hole in the ceiling, which had crashed right on top of the Librarian's desk! This caused him great concern. For he began to wonder if anyone had been sitting there before the impact.  
Carefully approaching, he bent underneath and began prying through the debris. "Can anybody hear me?"  
"Help. . .me. . ." An elderly woman's voice whispered out of nowhere. (She was the same old lady who slapped the ruler down in the desk in "Things Change.") Following to where it came from, Robin was startled to find his boot inches away from her cut up face. Quickly bending down next to her, he replied, "Oh, ma'am. I'm sorry. Are you Ok?"  
Gasping out, she whispered, "No. . .I can hardly breath."  
"Just hold on. . .We'll get you out." Now in a flash, Robin whipped out his communicator and opened it up. "Cyborg! Where are you?"  
"Right here, dude." his voice hollered out of nowhere. This caused Robin to look up, surprised to find him and Starfire standing in the doorway.  
"We had a feeling you'd be needing us. . ." Giving them a relieved nod, he replied, "That I do. . .Star, go and get the paramedics. Tell them we found another one in here."  
"Right away, Robin." she said, quickly flying out of the room. As Cyborg climbed over the wreckage, he asked, "What can I do?"  
"I need you to lift up on this ceiling so I can pull her out."  
"Sure thing, dude. Just be careful. . ."  
"I will. Ready? One. . Two. . .Three. . Go!" Now as Cyborg lifted up on the broken foundation, Robin gently began to pull the woman out. As he done so, she moaned with agony. "Easy. . .Easy. . ." Cyborg whispered, getting on the side of them. Running a scan over her, he said, "Her ribs are broken."  
Now they looked up to the sight of two paramedics standing in the doorway. "Over here, man. . ." Cyborg replied, waving an arm up in the air. As they made their way toward them, Robin was taken back over the way she grasped his hand. Looking from him to Cyborg, she whispered, "Thank you, gentleman. . ."  
This had he and Cyborg looking from her, to each other with touched expressions on their faces. Smiling down at her, Robin replied, "You're welcome. You just get well. Ok? You're students need you." Letting out a weak chuckle, she replied, "Oh, don't you worry, son. I'm too ornery to throw in the towel now. . ." She was interrupted when loud rumbling once again began to occur throughout the library, causing them to duck over her in a protective manner. At the same time, one of the paramedics shouted, "We've got to get her out of here. . ." Getting on each a side, they took her by the arms and legs. "Ready. . .lift."  
As they quickly began to carry her out, Cyborg replied, "My scanners are picking up more life signs in the back of the library. . ."  
Now the trembling grew even more intense, causing them to grip onto some toppled bookshelves for balance. Looking at each other with alarm, Cyborg replied, "Uh. . .I think we'd better tag along this time." Knowing better not to argue this time, Robin gave him a playful scoff. "Good idea. Starfire, did Raven or Beastboy find anyone yet?"  
"No. And according to what some of the students are saying, everyone has been located. . .accept for Terra." She was interrupted when the librarys foundation now began shaking with a magnatude that was so powerful, that cracks began to run up the sides of the walls. Horrified, they watched as it began to give way. "Look out!"  
As the other two ducked out of the way, Robin lunged under a table only seconds before tons of concret, glass, and brick bombarded him. Surrounded by darkness, Robin could feel the dust beginning to choke him. Coughing uncontrollably, he grabbed a cloth out of his pocket, and covered up his mouth and nose. '  
On the outside, Starfire was beside herself with panic. Frantically throwing rubble to the side, she hollered, "Robin! Robin can you hear me?!"  
"Yo, Robin? Are you alright?" Still trying to catch his breath, Robin hoarsely choked out. "I'm fine. . .(cough) I'm fine. . ."  
"We're coming in after you. . ." Cyborg hollered out."  
"No! Don't! It's too dangerous. Somebody get Beastboy and Raven here on the double!" He was drowned out when another seismic tremor took over, causing more of the buildings stucture to collapse. As it died down, Robin began to notice that the quakes were coming in a pattern. And if he didn't know any better, he'd swear that the library was actually imploding in on itself a little bit at a time. . .until there was nothing there anymore. Suddenly, he _knew_ what was going on, causing him to quickly crawl on all fours through the debris.  
Tossing books and rubble to the side, he blindly made his way through a maze of overturned walls and shelves until he came out into an open pocket of space. There, about four feet ahead of him was another huge bookshelf that was balanced up against the wall, almost like in a domino effect. There between the two, he made out the shape of a cut up leg. . .and could hear sniffling.  
By then Robin could feel his heart beating against his chest. Swallowing hard, he whispered, "Terra? Terra. . .Is that you?"  
In an instant he watched as the leg suddenly tucked in, and the sniffling stopped. This caused him to quietly scoot a little closer until he found himself staring at her frail, broken down form. Cut up and caked with dust, Terra was crouched into a corner with her legs tucked to her chest. Arms around her knees she rocked back and forth, crying softly to herself. Seeing this pitiful sight caused Robin to get even closer. "Terra. . ." In a flash her hand flew out, her tear streaked eyes glowing brightly. "Don't!. . .Don't come any closer! Just go away. Go away. . ."  
Looking around at the destruction, Robin slowly shook his head and asked, "Terra. . .Why are you doing this?"  
"_Why_?!" she bitterly retorted. "Because I've lost control, again. And this is what I did NOT want to happen!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "All I wanted. . .was to be normal, again. _That's all I ever wanted_!" Trying to be as calm as possible, Robin scooted a little closer.  
"But you aren't normal, Terra. You're gifted with powers that are _extraordinary_. And no matter how much you hide, they'll always be just underneath the surface. Don't you think it's time you stop running and face who you really are before it's too late?" Now he watched as her glowing eyes slowly narrowed with contempt.  
"It _is_ too late. . ." she whispered, backing deeper into her corner. "I know what I am, Robin. I'm /ievil/i. . .And there's no hope for me, now."  
By then, Robin could feel the ground beginning to violently shake beneath his feet. Now the sounds of an eerie cracking were heard throughout the room, coming closer, and closer. Looking down, Robin was startled to see the ground beginning to crumble from underneath him. Glancing at Terra, he noticed the look of tranquility on her face and realized what she was about to do. "It's out of my hands, now." she calmly replied. "I'd go if I were you. . ."  
In a state of frustration and panic, Robin glared at her. "Go?! Where am I going to go?! I'm /itrapped/i here with you!" he hollered, watching as her glowing eyes widened with alarm. "So if you take yourself down, then you're going to take me down, too! Is that what you want?!"  
Within that second, the ground split apart. Before Robin knew what was happening it gave way and he fell straight down. In a flash his hand flew forward, and he catapulted a hook and line, allowing it to catch onto the edge of the hole. As he tugged on the rope, he could feel the bottom of his legs beginning to heat up. Looking down, he was suddenly horrified to see magma beginning to ooze up out the ground.  
"Oh, man. . ." he whispered to himself. This caused him to quickly attempt to climb up. But suddenly another heavy tremor overtook him, causing the hook to gradually unfasten. Gaping up at it, Robin knew he was in deep trouble. Especially when he looked down and saw that the lava was rising even higher. What made it even worse, was that the bolder that the hook was attached to was also beginning to dislodge.  
Blood turning to ice, Robin saw in a five-second period his entire life flash before his eyes, followed by the hook giving way. . .

In an instant he could feel a hand tightly gripping his arm. Looking up, he was stunned to find Terra leaning over the hole, her tear streaked eyes still brightly glowing. This motivated him to reach for her other hand until he was gripping her tightly. With all her might, Terra began to pull until he was able to crawl out on his own.  
By then the glow had finally left her eyes, and the rumbling ceased. Marveling over what she'd done, Robin shook his head and whispered,  
"Terra. . .If you're so evil, then why did you just save my life?"  
Completely stumped over the reality of his question, Terra could feel herself weakening with relief. Giving Robin a look of sheer grief, she literally collapsed in his arms, beginning to sob uncontrollably.  
"Oh, Robin. . .I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. . ."  
Full of compassion, Robin gently embraced Terra in a comforting manner. "Shhh. . ." he whispered, as she cried against his chest. "It'll be alright now. I promise you. . .everythings going to be alright."  
From outside of the debris they could hear muffled voices talking.  
"Azarath. . .Metrion. . .Zinthos!" Raven loudly hollered out. Now her dark energy surrounded the pile of rubble, gracefully lifting and separating it until there was a path for them to get through. Only instead of rushing in, the four Titans found themselves transfixed to the sight of Terra holding onto Robin. . .not wanting to let go for dear life.  
Slowly her head lifted up, until she was staring at the stunned expressions on their faces. But one in particular set out from the others. . .standing more in the back of the room.  
Although relieved to see she was alright. . .Beastboy couldn't bare to face her now, especially after the horrible things she'd said. Putting his head down, he slowly turned and walked away. . .


	5. Chapter 5

**A few hours later. . .**

After a thorough examination at the hospital, everyone was amazed to find that afterall she'd endured, Terra hadn't suffered any major cuts and bruises. It was her mind that had taken a beating. Therefore, Robin insisted that she return with them to the Tower. At least. . .until she was stable enough to be on her own. This time Terra was too tired to argue with him. In fact, it wasn't until their drive home that she felt it the most. Completely overtaken with exhaustion, she passed out falling into a deep coma-like sleep As Cyborg gently carried her down the hallway, Raven looked over at Robin and asked, "Do you really think it's a good idea to put Terra back in her old room?" Rather surprised by that question, Robin replied,  
"Why? You don't?"  
"Well. . .She feels guilty enough as it is. Waking up in her old room will only remind Terra of _who_ she was, and _what_ she done, which will only make her feel worse." Nodding, Robin replied, "You've got a good point. But where will we put her?"  
"Well. . .I'd offer my room. But it's a little too creepy."  
"Not a problem. . ." Starfire interrupted, now stepping in the front of them. "I'll be happy to switch rooms with her until she is well." Giving Robin a tiny smile, Raven nodded.  
"See? Problem solved."  
As they stopped in front of Starfires door, Beastboy continued to silently walk pass them until he'd gone into his own room and shut the door. Blowing out a frustrated breath, Robin slowly shook his head.  
"Not _every_ problem. . ."

Over the next few days Terra drifted in and out of consciousness, not having the strength to stay awake for more than ten minutes. This concerned Robin greatly, so he made sure somebody stayed with her around the clock until she'd come out of her cataleptic state.  
And that someone happened to be Raven.

Although it was her turn at watch, she was still too engrossed with her reading to notice Terra beginning to stir. That is, until she let out a whimper loud enough to get her attention. Book slowly lowering, Raven noticed the beads of sweat glistening on her forehead. This caused her to scoot a little closer, watching as Terra's head began to turn from side to side. "No. . .No. . ." she breathlessly whispered. "I can't get out. . ._No_!" Letting out a startled gasp she flew up, eyes wide with horror. This caused Raven to impulsively clamp a hand down on her shoulder, in an attempt to keep her from lunging out of the bed.  
"Terra. . ." she firmly replied. "Terra, wake up."  
Panting uncontrollably, Terra's tearful gaze found hers. "Raven?" she whispered in a cracked voice.  
"Yes. It's ok. You're safe, now."  
Letting out a sigh of relief, Terra weakly flopped back down on her pillows. Shakily running a hand over the side of her face, her eyes began to scan her surroundings rather intently. "Where am I?" she weakly asked.  
"In Starfires room. . .You've been unconscious for three days." Now Raven watched as her eyes widened with disbelief.  
"Three days? I don't understand? Why?"  
"Because your body was in a state of repair, and you were healing yourself." Now more and more the recollection of everything that had happened began to overwhelm Terra's mind like a flood, causing her breathing to increase, and tears to fill her eyes. "_Repair_?" she stressed in a cracked voice. "Maybe I just didn't want to wake up because I'm still living in a nightmare!"  
Putting both hands over her face, she began to cry. At a momentary loss of words, Raven watched as her tearful gaze helplessly found hers. "Do you know what it was like for me to find myself alone inside of a dark, creepy cave with no way out? It was like being buried alive inside of a coffin! The more I struggled to get out, the more I recalled all the horrible things I'd done! And by the time I finally got to the surface. . .I was numb from the inside out!"  
Unable to imagine what that must've been like, Raven shook her head and whispered, "Look, Terra. I'm sorry that I had to force your memories. But, I didn't have a choice. You had to face who you really were so you could deal with it and start over. But now that you have, the worst part is over. You can't move on, if you don't _Let it go_."  
Full of discouragement, Terra scoffed and whispered,  
"Yeah, right. Like you _really_ know what I'm going through. . ." Hesitating, Raven let out a heavy sigh. "I do know." Eyes narrowing with some confusion, Terra sniffled then asked,  
"What are you talking about?" Thinking it over only briefly, Raven looked down at her and replied, "My whole life I was told that I was destined to bring evil and destruction to this world. But I didn't wan't to believe it. So I thought that maybe if I used my powers to fight off evil, it would make a difference. But what I was really doing, was running away. . .just like _you_were." she specified. "And eventually, I still had to face my inner demon." _(Referring to Trigon's invasion through her as a portal.)_ Shaking her head, Raven continued, "My friends could have abandoned me, too. Especially Robin. He stood by my side and fought for me the same way, even when I was ready to give up. They _all_ did. And that helped me make the right decision to take control over my own destiny and stay good. Regardless of how hopeless it seemed." Although beginning to feel a little awkward, Raven managed to look Terra in the eyes. "It also made me realize how hard I was on you in the past. And for that. . .I'm sorry." She whispered, as a touched expression crossed over Terra's face.  
Before Raven could say anything more, Cyborgs head popped in the doorway. "I thought I heard voices in here." Turning back toward the hall he hollered, "Yo, Robin. . .she's up, man." Now he turned and promptly approached Terra's bedside. Relieved to see more of her old friends, Terra managed to give him a smile.  
"Hello Cy. . ."  
"Hey, little lady. How you feeling?"  
"Like a mac truck plowed into me. . ." Stooping down on the side of her, Cyborg now began to scan over her life signs. Looking over at Raven he asked, "How long has she been awake?"  
"About thirty minutes." Reading the gage on his arm, he looked back at her and replied, "Everything checks out. You're just exhausted, that's all. But you'll come out of it. Just take it easy now. . .ok?"  
"I plan on it."  
"So. . .it is true?" The three looked back to the timid voice of Starfire, who was standing in the doorway. "She really has awakened?"  
"Come and see for yourself, Star." Cyborg replied, getting back to his feet.  
For Terra, seeing Starfire tore her apart on the inside. From the beginning she had been nothing but nice to her. Even after everything Terra had put them through, Starfire was even willing to make amends and forgive her right away. But instead, all she done was push her away in an angry fit of denial. And judging by the hurt expression on Star's face, it was obvious that she remembered too. For she slowly approached Terra and hesitated, as though not knowing what to say, or do. Sensing her turmoil, Raven stood up gesturing for Starfire to take her chair. The minute she sat down, Terra's doleful glance shifted up to her gloomy one. For a minute, the two girls sadly stared at each other in silence. "Oh Star. . ." Terra whispered. "I'm _so_ glad to see you."  
Gently covering the top of Star's hand with her own. For Starfire, this unexpected gesture moved her so much that tears gleamed in her eyes. Without any hesitation, she gripped Terra's hand and squeezed it. Sniffling she replied, "Oh, friend. It is good to see you too. Welcome back."  
"Yeah. . .And about time, too." Robin playfully replied, as he knelt on the other side of the bed. "For awhile I didn't think you'd ever wake up." Recalling everything he'd done for her in an instant, Terra sprung forward and threw her arms around his neck until she was hugging him tight. "Thank you, Robin. . ." She whispered. "Thank you for saving me."  
Smiling, he gently patted her back and replied, "Hey. . .don't mention it. You gave us all a good scare back there. Especially _me_. . ." he mocked rather lightheartedly. Pulling away from him, Terra almost hated to ask. "Was anybody else. . .I mean did I kill-"  
"_No_. . ." he specified, as she painfully looked away from him. "There were some injuries. A teacher and several students had a few broken bones. But nobody died." Full of deep regret Terra replied,  
"After everything that's gone down, it's a wonder it hasn't happened yet. Especially when I was with Slade. . ." Hearing that name suddenly caused the blood to drain out of her face. Swallowing hard, her widening eyes found Robins full of horror. "Oh, no. Robin. . .Does he know I'm alive?" Her question had the four looking at each other with concerned expressions on their faces. Trying to be as calm as possible, Robin nodded, "Yes, he does."  
This answer caused Terra to fly in a panic. "Oh. . .Well that's just great! I'm putting you all in danger all over _Again_!" she hollered. "What if he comes looking for me?!"  
"He won't, Terra." Robin replied, desperately trying to sooth her fears. Still not convinced, her head began to shake.  
"But what makes you so sure?"  
"Because he never forced you to join him in the first place." Raven calmly interjected. "You were too powerful, remember? And if you recall, _you_ were the one who went to him." Narrowing her eyes, she intentionally asked, "You wouldn't do that again, would you?"  
"Never!" Terra defensively replied. "I'd never go back to him! I'd rather /idie/i first!"  
"That's what I thought. . ." Raven coolly answered. "So you have nothing to worry about." Catching on to the point she was trying to make, Terra smiled at her. "Thank you. . ." she said, as Raven nodded.  
"Besides. . .the guy knows you whipped his butt!" Cyborg added. "When Beastboy went looking for you the first time, Slade tracked him down at the old fun park. But he didn't come in person. Instead the creep sent a robot of himself to deliver a message."  
"What message?" Giving her a sad gaze, Starfire timidly shrugged her shoulders and said,  
"That you didn't want to see him anymore. . ."

Silently the four Titans walked in the Ops room to find Beastboy sitting on the sofa, playing the video game. He was so deep in concentration that he never noticed them approaching him from behind. Apprehensively they looked at each other, as though not knowing who should speak first. Deciding to make the first move, Cyborg finagled his way on the side of him, watching as he _obliterated_ his top game score. Unable to help himself, he muttered, "So you think you're bad, huh?"  
Looking at him out the corner of his eye, Beastboy quickly replied, "Sure looks that way. You care to challenge the master?" Giving him a playful smirk, Cyborg answered,  
"No. Not today. But I just wanted to let you know that Terra's awake." Now he watched as a troubled expression crept over his face. Deliberately fixing his gaze on the screen, he muttered,  
"That's good. . ." Giving him a hopeless gaze, Cyborg watched as Raven crept up behind him.  
"She um. . .asked about you." Feeling his pulse beginning to race, Beastboys eyes slowly began to narrow. "So. . ." Growing more and more uneasy from his tension, Raven replied,  
"So. . .she want's to talk to you." Hitting the controls a little bit harder, Beastboy shook his head then muttered,  
"No thanks. I'll pass. . ." Shaking his head, Robin sighed with frustration.  
"But it might be important. . ."  
In an instant Beastboys eyes flashed up at him with anger. "I _said_, I'll pass!" He hollered, roughly flinging the remote on the table. Actually jumping over the sofa, he quickly headed for the door in a fast pace. But this time, Robin wasn't having it. Now just as angry as he was, he ran ahead of Beastboy, deliberately blocking him from going any further.  
"Man. . .What is your problem?! For three days I've been trying to apologize and you've done nothing but treat me like dirt! What do you want from me?" Knowing deep down inside that he was wrong, Beastboy put his head down. Rubbing a hand over his face, his head slowly shook. "Nothing. . .I'm sorry." he said in a more calmer tone. "Just give me a break, alright?" Swallowing hard he added, "I haven't felt like this since I was a kid."  
By the troubled look that suddenly crossed over Robins face, Cyborg began to sense that that there was something much deeper going on, causing his curiousity to get the best of him. "Why? What happened when you were a kid?" Hesitating, Beastboy looked away from him, as though struggeling to find the right words. Seeing this unexpected reaction caused Cyborgs suspicion to grow into concern.  
"Come on, B." he gently pushed. "You can tell us."  
Slowly Beastboy looked up, until he was looking his best friend in the eyes. "_A lot_, dude." he whispered, putting his head down. "If being turned into a green _freak_ wasn't one thing, seeing my parent's _die_ surely was." Mouth falling open, Starfire gasped,  
"_What_?" Sadly looking up at her, he whispered,  
"It's true. I watched them drown. And there was _nothing_ I could do about it."

**(r)** By then the silence was so thick in the room, that you could have heard a pin drop. Completely at a loss of words, Cyborg felt as though he'd gotten sucker punched in the jaw.  
But that was nothing compared to the inner turmoil and disbelief Raven was now experiencing. Never in million years did she ever expect him to come out with something like that. To slander his own identity. To admit to everyone how much it bothered him, when she herself had made several cold remarks out of simple frustration. Now turning into deep regret. But what made things even worse, was the fact that she had truly been judging him from the outside. Not having a clue to the true pain he was feeling deep down on the inside. Like her, he too shared a deep tragedy. The one actual thing. . .that they had in common. And, the most important of all.  
Suddenly it all made sense as to why Beastboy always targeted her with his corny jokes, and drove her insane by always trying to make her laugh. Because he really did know what she was feeling. . .And cared enough about her to try and make her happy. Only she was too blind to see it.

As Beastboy awkwardly figeted in the silence, Starfire reached down until her hand was gently squeezing his shoulder. "Oh. . .you have my deepest sympathy, friend. I am sorry. . ."  
"Yeah, B. So am I." Cyborg finally managed to reply.  
Desperately trying to contain just how heartsick she really felt, Raven's head slowly began to shake. "_Why_? Why didn't you ever tell anyone about this?" Now she watched as his shoulders shrugged, and he gave her a very serious gaze.  
"Hey. . .As you've said, Raven. . .some secrets are meant to be kept in. It's how you handle them that counts."  
"That's right. . ." Robin agreed. "And so far, you've handled them very well. You've taken two of the biggest calamities of your life, and turned them into something positive."  
"Only that's not the case here, dude." Cyborg gently replied. "This time, you're running away from it. And it's making you very bitter."  
Knowing deep down that he was telling the truth, Beastboy sadly looked away.  
"Come on, B." Cyborg coached. "It's not as bad as it seems. You really should really talk to her. Terra's a different person now, man. She's changed." Slowly his head lifted until his angry gaze met his.  
"Yeah? Well so have I!"  
As he turned to walk away Robin hollered, "Hey. . ." Looking over his shoulder, Beastboy watched as his arms slowly folded. "For the record. . .you're _not_ a freak! You're a _survivor_! If your father wouldn't have done that experiment on you, you wouldn't be here. . ." Now for the first time in a while, an actual smile crossed over his face.  
"I know. . .Thanks. . ."

When he was finally gone, Cyborg looked over at Robin and asked, "You knew about this?"  
"Yeah. . .It was in his files. But he wanted me to keep it confidential."  
Unable to resist her own curiosity, Raven shook her head and asked,  
"_Experiment_? What experiment?" Hesitating for a minute, Robin replied,  
"Well. . .It's supposed to be confidential. But since he brought it up, I suppose it's alright to talk about it. See. . .A when he was a kid, Beastboy was bitten by a green monkey, which carried a fatal disease called the "_Sakutia_," Virus. And his dad, being a geneticist, gave him an experimental drug, hoping that it would be strong enough to fight it off. Otherwise, he'd die. Fortunately it worked, but it made his immune system alot weaker. And the side effects were pretty bizarre. Suddenly he had green skin. . .sharp teeth, pointed ears-"  
"And the ability to morph. . ." Cyborg cut off.  
"Right. . . A small price to pay for being alive. But. . .you heard him. He doesn't seem to think so. . .Especially when his parents died a short time after." As Raven slowly shook her head, Cyborg blew out a heavy sigh.  
"Poor kid. . .He's had it rough."  
"Yeah, I know. And I haven't made it any easier for him." Robin muttered in disgust.  
"Dude. . .None of us have. . ." Cyborg replied, trying to ease his guilt a bit. Sighing, Robin shook his head and replied, "I just wish there was something we could do to make this up to him. But what?" After a few minutes of silence, a big smile crossed over Cyborgs face.  
"Wait a minute. . .I think I got it. We all know his birthday is in a couple of months, right?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Well. . What's the one thing he's really been wanting?" Shooting him a playful leer, Robin nodded and said,  
"A set of wheels. . ."  
"Right. . .I mean the grass stain is turning 18. If I would've had a moped at that age, I would've died from embarrassment." Rather intrigued, Robin asked,  
"So what are you suggesting?"  
"That I build it with my own two hands from spare parts I've got in the hanger. And it could be from all of us. . ." Now the other three looked at each other with excited expressions on their faces.  
"That sounds wonderful!" Starfire enthusiastically replied. "But. . .does he not spend most of his time with you fixing up your car? How would he not notice?" Caught off guard by that question, Cyborg nodded,  
"That's true. I guess that means I'll have to do is somewhere else. But where?" As they silently thought it over, Robins fingers snapped out of the blue.  
"I got it! You could go to Titan's East! They got a hanger that's twice the size of ours, with all the spare parts you need!"  
Face lighting with excitement, Cyborg grinned and said, "Well alright! _That_ sounds like a plan!"  
"Great! I'll contact Bumblebee from my room and tell her the situation. " Robin replied, as they eagerly headed out the door.  
"Yeah. . .And I'll get packing. Cause the sooner I'm outta here the better!"


	6. Chapter 6

Still stalling in the hallway, Beastboy was nervously pacing back and forth. Although he stood just outside the door, he still couldn't gather up the nerve to go inside. Just when he was about to turn and walk away, he heard a voice say:  
"Well? Are you going to just stand there all day? Or are you going to come inside?"  
Realizing he had been discovered, Beastboy closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. As Terra sat up in bed, she watched as a slowly crept inside. For a minute, it was like she were staring at a total stranger. There was no smile, or upbeat expression that she was so used to seeing. Instead the look on his face was distant, and very empty. It was a side out of him that she never witnessed before. A side that deep down, Terra knew she'd caused. And the thought of that actually frightened her. Desperately wanting to get through to him, she swallowed hard and whispered, "Hello. . ."  
After some hesitancy, Beastboy coldly muttered, "Hi. . ." Still continuing to glare down at the bed.  
"How have you been?" The nerve of Terra's question caused his head to slowly lift until his cold gaze fixed on hers.  
"How do I look?!" He asked in a sharp, cutting voice. Feeling her stomach turn over, Terra sighed with frustration.  
"You look upset. . ."  
"UPSET?" he sarcastically wheedled through his teeth. "Gee. . .You think so?"  
"Yes. And I can't blame you. I know I done some horrible things. But I didn't mean to hurt you." Having about all he could take, Beastboy glared down at her. "Hurt me?!" he hollered, "Terra, you ripped my heart out!" Standing up he cried, "Do you know how shocked I was to see you after seven months of trying to break you out of that mold?!" (Referring to the rocky shell she'd incased herself in after her final battle with Slade.) "I mean. . .after awhile, I thought you really were dead!" Looking away from her, he bitterly added, "And when I saw you walking around here, I got so excited that all I wanted to do was talk to you! I didn't mean to follow you around like a puppy! It's just that. . .I had to convince myself that you were really there!" Getting a lump in his throat, he slowly shook his head with anguish. "And what made it worse was that you wouldn't admit who you were. . .THEY wouldn't believe me! And when I was finally able to prove it. . .you said you HATED me!"  
"But I don't hate you!" Terra whispered, finding the nerve to look into his eyes. "I love you. . ."  
Now through the rage, she watched as Beastboy's eyes slowly widened with disbelief. Gaping down at her, his head slowly began to shake. "LOVE me?" he sarcastically scoffed. "Well Terra, you sure have a TWISTED way of showing it!"  
"I didn't know what else to do!" She tearfully argued. "You wanted things to be the way they used to be. But they're not! Even if I would've let on that I remembered, so much had happened that I knew it wouldn't have been the same!"  
"Terra! Don't you think I knew that?!" He vented with frustration. "You're not the only one that's gone through changes!" he hollered, watching as she painfully looked away. "During the past year I've been through more than what you could ever imagine! Ups, and downs! But I NEVER would have treated you like that!" Now his voice cracked, and she saw the tears filling in his eyes. Fighting to keep them under control, he bit his lip and added, "And I'll never be able to forget. . .EVER!"  
Feeling miserable, Terra's head began to shake with regret. "Then I guess. . .it's over. Isn't it?"  
Knowing she meant relationship wise, Beastboy gave her a very hard gaze and nodded, "Yeah. . .I guess it is." He whispered, watching as she looked away in despair. "But. . .that doesn't mean we can't start over. . .as friends." Stunned over his willingness to forgive her, Terra covered a hand over her face and began to sob. Shaking his head, Beastboy found himself sitting back on the edge of the bed. Reaching for her hand he gently moved it away, until he was staring into her tearful gaze. There the two of them embraced each other, hugging for the first time in nearly a year. As Terra wept in his arms, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Beastboy. I'm so sorry."  
Unable to control it anymore, Beastboy could feel himself give way to his own pain, beginning to choke up as well. Squeezing her a little tighter, he tearfully whispered, "So am I, Terra. So am I."

Still deeply troubled over everything that happened, Raven found herself heading down the hallway for Beastboys room. But as she done so, she noticed that the door to Starfires room was halfway open, and thought she'd check on Terra along the way. But upon her approach, Raven got a little more than she bargained for. By then Beastboy had bent over until he was resting in Terra's lap. As she quietly held onto him, all of the past repression over everything he'd endure now flowed out a tear at a time. Little by little the relief was finally beginning to set in, as well as the healing of his heart. But that's NOT what Raven saw.  
Spinning way from the door she could only stand there for a minute completely taken back over this poignant display. Putting her head down, she then turned and walked away.  
At first her thought were so muddled that Raven didn't even realize that she was heading for her own room. Yet, as the shock began to wear off, she realized that in the one instance where she wanted to reach out to him, he'd instead found comfort in the arms of someone who may have hurt him. But, at least Terra understood him! Which was something Raven could do until now. . .and it was too late.  
By then the true feelings Raven tried so hard to contain were beginning to surface against her will. Being of heartache, pain, disappointment and anger. But they weren't at Beastboy. . .or even at Terra. But at HERSELF. So much so that it caused her dark energy to rapidly stir from within. And before she knew what was happening, some of her powers surged forth, causing a light fixture to shatter overhead, sending shards of glass in every direction. Nearly startled out of her mind, Raven sped in her room and tightly closed the door.  
Leaning up against the frame, a hand went up shakily rubbing over her face. As it slowly lowered, her eyes were filled with tears. Knowing deep down inside that she was passed her limit. Raven knew what she had to do. . .

About thirty minutes later. . .

By then Cyborg was heading for the hanger, when he began to sense somebody from behind. Af first, he paid no mind. That is until he got to the car. Suddenly out of the blue, he saw Ravens reflection on the drivers side window and whirled around. Catching his breath, he gave her a humiliated glance. "Girl! You sure do know how to sneak up on people. . ."  
"Sorry. . ." she muttered in a low voice. That's when he noticed the oversized duffel bag in her hands. Setting it down on the floor, Raven hesitated, then asked, "Um. . .you feel like company?"  
Although very surprised, Cyborg shrugged and asked, "Why? Is something wrong?" Putting her head down, Raven replied,  
"I. . .I just need to get away for awhile, to clear my head. . ."  
Even though her identity was concealed by the hood of her cloak, it still didn't disguise the hurt tone of her voice. Knowing that there was something more going on, Cyborg lifted up a finger until it was rubbing the underneath of his chin.  
"Hmmmm. . .Well. You helped me put together the T-Car. So I know you'd be handly with the B-Car." He stressed, giving her a playful smile. Unamused, Raven looked up just enough for him to catch the hurt expression on her face. This caused Cyborg to reach down until he was tenderly gripping her shoulder. "Hey. . .Whatever it is, you know you don't even have to ask. Come on." He said, opening the car door for her to get in. Appreciative, Raven nodded, quickly shoving her bag in the back seat. "Does Robin know you're leaving?"  
"Yeah. . ." she replied, now getting on the passengers side.

As they drove away Cyborg watched as Raven literally buried herself into the seat, tightly folding her arms. Once they were out of sight, she pulled the hood off her head and silently glared out the window. Now very concerned, he said,  
"Uh Rae. . .Do you want to talk about it?"  
"No. . .Not now." she answered in a low voice. "Maybe later. Ok?"  
Knowing better than to press her, Cyborg nodded and replied, "Sure. . ."  
As they silently drove, Raven turned from the window and looked toward him. "Thanks. . ." she whispered. Giving her a gentle smile, Cyborg nodded and replied, "Anytime. . ."

Sometime later

Standing in the hallway, Beastboy watched as the bathroom door opened and Terra walked outside. (She was dressed in the same white robe she wore after she took a shower in the episode, "Terra") As she breathed out a sigh of relief, he asked,  
"Better?"  
"Lots. . ." she said, looking toward him rather sheepishly. "Um. . .You got anything to eat?" Giving her a mocking glance, Beastboy shook his head. "Oh, yeah. Now that sounds like the Terra I know."  
Knowing he was right, Terra actually snickered then said. "Sad. . .but true." As they continued to head down the hall, the two were suddenly met up with Robin and an UNEXPECTED visitor. "Well. . ." Robin said, rather surprised. "It's good to see you finally walking around."  
"Yeah, well. . .I was starting to feel a little closed in. . ."  
"AND hungry." Beastboy added. "We were just heading for the kitching to get her some chow."  
"Well, before you go I want you to meet Aqualad. He's a Titan from the East Coast. Aqualad. . .this is-"  
"TERRA. . ." he replied, now reaching for her hand. "So we finally meet at last." As he shook it, he added, "I've heard SO much about you." Letting out a scoff, Terra shook her head and muttered, "Yeah? I'll just bet you have. And not a bit of it good."  
Indeed knowing her full backstory, Aqualad watched as she sadly looked away from him. "Hey. . ." he warmly replied, getting her attention. "It's not how you start off that counts. But it's how you finish. . .And from what I gather, you're more stronger now than ever before. . .Right?" Head slowly lifting, Terra found herself staring up into his gentle gaze, as though suddenly swept away by his kind words. "Uh. . .Right." she whispered.  
Giving Robin an amused peer, Beastboy cleared his throat loud enough to get Aqualad's attention. Artfully raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Uh, dude. I hate to break your concentration, but. . .what are you doing here?" Caught off guard by that question, Aqualad glanced from him to Robin and promptly answered,  
"Uh. . .Cyborg had to leave for awhile."  
"Yeah. . ." Robin replied, coming to his rescue. "Their having technical problems with the main computer system, and he's gotta rebuild it from scratch." Shooting Aqualad a hard glance, Robin then added, "It should take a month. Maybe even longer. . ."  
Eyes widening, Beastboy replied, "Whoa. . .That sounds major."  
"It is. So for now Aqualad's filling in until they come back."  
"THEY?"  
"Yeah. . .He needed some extra help, so Raven went with him."  
For a minute Terra and Beastboy looked at each other, as though not sure they heard Robin correctly. Thereafter Beastboy gazed at Robin with some suspicion. "Uh, dude. . .Are you for real?"  
Beginning to feel the heat, Robin quickly shrugged and said,  
"Well. . .Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?"  
Thinking it over for a minute, Beastboy's head continued to shake with some skepticism. "Because for one thing. . .computers are NOT Raven's style. If you get my drift." Now Robin watched as his eyes shifted toward him, giving him a rather disappointed glance.  
"And for another. . .she didn't even say goodbye. . ."


	7. Chapter 7

"The Gift of Love. . ."

Several days after Cyborg and Ravens depature, Robin, Aqualad, Starfire, Beastboy and Terra were outside the tower in the obstacle course. From the control booth, Robin and Aqualad watched as a very anxious Terra paced back and fourth.  
"Hey, Terra. . it's ok. We just want to see how much you remember." Nervously wringing her hands, Terra looked at Beastboy and whispered, "I'm scared. . ."  
"I know. . .But don't be. This is just practice. Besides. You gotta start off somewhere, right?" Swallowing hard, she could actually feel herself beginning to sweat. "Right. . ."  
As the countdown began, Starfire quickly approached her and said, "Don't worry, friend. You'll do well. I promise."  
"Yeah." Beastboy added. It'll all come back again. You'll see."  
By the ten second mark, Terra's hands began to brightly glow at her sides as though standing in a showdown. 5-4-3-2-1-Beeeeeeeep.  
In that instant Terra watched as the earth split apart and several cannons emerged, beginning to rapidly fire explosive disks at her. Without even thinking her arms flew forward, manipulating several rocks to shoot off the ground. One by one they smashed into their targets, obliterating them on impact.  
From the booth, Aqualad marveled down at her in disbelief. "Whoah. . ." he muttered under his breath. Very proud, Robin grinned and nodded. "Wait. . .you haven't seen anything yet."  
He said, pulling down on a lever. Now terra watched as five more cannons rose from the ground and began firing missles in her direction. Having instant recall, Terra suddenly found herself pumped with adrenaline. Eyes brightly glowing, she quickly sprung off the ground and perched herself on top of a huge bolder. Quickly she soared out ahead until she was far enough to turn around and face them head on. Letting out a war cry, Terra's hand flew out. With perfect coordination more rocks flew forward, smashing into each missile one at a time until they were all destroyed.  
Through the cheers of Beastboy and Starfire, Terra now jumped off the bolder, sliding into the dirt like she would at home plate. She wasn't on the ground ten seconds when it began to violently tremble beneath her feet. There, the earth split apart and a huge android slowly began to rise to the surface. Mouth falling open, Terra watched as it slowly began walking toward her a step at a time, getting closer and closer. . .until it was towering about twenty feet over her. Slowly it's massive steele arm lifted, ready to do battle. The unexpected sight of this had her so petrified that she could barely move.  
From the control tower, Robin watched as she slowly began to back away. Shaking his head he hollered out, "Come on, Terra. You fought this robot before and beat it, remember? I KNOW you could do it again. Show me what you got. . ." Becoming more and more terrified, her head slowly began to shake. "I. . .I can't."  
Beginning to feel desperate for her, Beastboy thought it over. Giving Terra a hard look, he hesitated then shouted, "Yes you can! Pretend like that's Slade!"  
For a minute it was as though hearing that name caused her fear to immediately dissipate. Suddenly engulfed with flashbacks, a look of rage crossed over Terra's face, as the wrath now consumed her. Gritting her teeth she slowly stepped forward, hair beginning to blow from the surge of her powers. In a flash she raised a hand up in the air, causing a massive wall of rock to shoot up on one side of the robot, and then the other. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Terra fiercely slapped her glowing hands together, causing the slabs of stone to smash up against it, flattening it like a pancake!  
Completely stunned Robin and the others watched as it exploded, ducking from the shards of glass and metal which flew in every direction. Then as the dust began to settle, the dumbounded group looked from themselves to her, and began to loudly cheer. While Terra who was now traumatized, tearfully gaped straight ahead. Her thoughts were interrupted when Starfire threw both arms around her neck, giving her a victory hug. "That was wonderful, Terra! You were magnificant!"  
By then Robin and Aqualad had also made their way to the bottom of the ridge. Shaking his head, Aqualad replied, "Terra, that was outstanding!" Slowly coming to her senses, she looked up at him and whispered, "You. . .you think so?"  
"Yes indeed. . .I didn't know you had such good accuracy!"  
"Well, I did! You rocked, girl!" Beastboy said, as she sadly looked toward him. Feeling rather guilty, he sighed then whispered, "Look. . .I'm sorry I threw Slade in your face like that. But I had to psyche you up somehow. . ."  
"I know. . ." she replied, shaking her head with frustration. "Do you ever think I'll get over what he put me through?"  
"NO. . ." Robin remarked, without any hesitation. "But that's a good thing. . ." Letting out a scoff, she asked,  
"How?"  
"Because it's made you into a better person. AND a stronger fighter."  
"Yeah, tell me about it." Beastboy chuckled. "Cyborg's gonna have kittens when he finds out what she done to his BABY. . ."  
"That's ok. . ." Robin snickered. "I know he'll understand. I just wish him and Raven could've been here to see it." Looking away for a minute, Beastboy suddenly found himself submersed in deep thought. Sighing he stared ahead in a daze and whispered, "Yeah. . .Me too. . ."

In the Titans East Hanger  
Several weeks later. . .

Gazing straight ahead, Raven rhythmically slapped the handle of a socket wrench in the palm of her hand. Although she was there in body, her mind was a million miles away. From underneath the bottom of the newly built B-machine, Cyborg took a step down from the ladder and held out his hand. "Ok. . .I'm ready for it now." He said, while looking up into the cars manifold. When he didn't feel anything, he looked down to find that Raven was daydreaming. With this not being the first time, he rolled his eyes and cooed, "Uh, Raven. . .I could use that wrench now, please?" he repeated, as she continued to stare off into space. Shaking his head, he barked out,  
"YO?!" Snapping out of it, Raven looked up to find him grinning down at her. "Are you in there are what?"  
Feeling her face heat up, she muttered, "Sorry. . ." Then got up and put the wrench in his hand. Cocking his head at her, he replied, "Alright, girl. That's it. I think you're getting a case of cabin fever. . ."  
"I'm FINE. . ." she insisted, voice getting a little defensive.  
"You've been saying that for the past three weeks. But you've still never told me what's wrong." Glowering ahead, Raven coldly muttered.  
"It's not even worth mentioning. . ."  
"Oh, really? But it's enough to make you skip town and hide down here like a hermit?" Now he watched as her annoyed glance widened, going from surprised. . .to hurt. Shaking his head, Cyborg gently replied. "Look. . .I'm sorry, Rae. But I'm just worried about you, that's all." Looking away from him, Raven put her head down and whispered, "I know. . ."  
Before Cyborg had a chance to say anything more, the door opened and Bumblebee walked in, making her way down the stairwell. Looking from her to Raven, he nodded and said, "Yeah? Well. . .I'm about to do something about it."  
"Hey, guys. Hows it going down here?" Eyes artfully narrowing, Cyborg stepped completely off the ladder and replied, "Well, well. Bee. You're just the person we wanted to see. Raven was thinking about taking a break. . ." he implied, as her eyes widened with surprise.  
"Well, it's about time!" Bumblebee said, folding her arms. "For awhile, I didn't think she'd ever want to leave."  
"I DON'T. . ." Raven argued, giving Cyborg a very aggravated glance. "There's still alot to do. . ." Just as hardheaded as she was, Cyborg was determined for once to stand up to her. Folding his arms he sharply replied, "Not anymore. . .You're FIRED!" Growing very annoyed, Raven let out a sigh of disgust. "Gee. . .thanks alot!"  
"You're welcome. . ." Laughing at the two of them, Bumblebee shook her head and said, "Come on, Rae. It'll be nice. You could REALLY use the time out."  
"Hmph. From the looks of it, I guess I don't have a choice now, do I?"  
"No, you don't. So get out of here!" Shooting him an angry look, Raven threw the hood of the cloak over her head, then turned and quickly began trudging up the stairs. Not wanting his little sister to be mad at him, Cyborg hollered out, "Hey, Raven. . ."  
"What?!" she snapped, glaring at him over her shoulder. Now she watched as he approached her. . .giving her a gentle nudge. "You know I love you, right?" He mocked, giving her a playful wink.  
Caught off guard by his mocking yet tender remark, Raven could feel her anger toward him simply vanish. Giving him a playful glare, she raised an eyebrow and snapped, "SURE you do!"


	8. Chapter 8

For Raven, what was only supposed to be a private trip between her and Bumblebee, turned more into a rowdy group excursion. Little did she know that Mas Y Menos, the high speed twins were waiting for them by the car.  
"Buenos dias, senorita Raven. . ." Mas chipperly replied, as his other brother hopped in the back seat. "Hola. . .Hola. . ."  
"Hello. . ." she hissed through her teeth. Now Bee watched as her eyes found hers and narrowed rather questioning. Looking from them to her, she chuckled and said,  
"Umm. . .They wanted to come along. I hope you don't mind." Fuming privately on the inside, Raven calmly muttered through her teeth. "Sure. . .No problem. . ." Little did poor Raven know just what she was getting herself into. For the ride into the city turned into a nerve-racking ordeal.  
Through Bee's loud bassy, techno music, the boys began to argue in the back seat over whose turn it was to play the Gameboy! "Esto es mi vuelta, Menos!" (It's my turn, Menos!) Mas hollered, yanking it in one direction.  
"No, No es!" (No, it isn't!) Menos yelled back, pulling in another.  
"Si es!" (Yes, it is!) Mas screamed, tugging back a little harder.  
"No!" Menos shouted, snatching it out of his hands. Then he gave his brother a rough push in the shoulder and began to concentrate playing the game. That did it. Angrily Mas balled his little fist and hollered, "Ah, esto esta en ahora!" (Oh it's on, now!) And before Bee or Raven knew what was happening, a fight ensued in the back seat!  
Looking through her rearview mirror, Bumblebee hollered out over the loud thumping, "Hey you boys cut it out! Don't make me stop this car!" By then, Raven was cringing down in her seat, actually beginning to contemplate wanting to kill Cyborg! Oh, would he pay dearly for this!  
And if that wasn't bad enough, touring through the city was no better. With Bumblebee wanting her to go one way, and the twins wanting her to go in another, Raven felt like she was being torn in two different directions. And their constant bickering only made it worse! By nightfall, Raven was at the end of her rope!  
"Este Camino!" (This way!) Mas said, trying to steer her in one direction.  
"No! No! No! Este Camino!) Menos snapped, pulling her in another. Now very irritated, Mas threw both hands on his hips and shouted, "Usted siempre consigueso camino!" (You always get your way!)  
"No, no hago!" (No, I don't!) Menos argued.  
"Si, uster hace!" (Yes, you do!) Mas shouted at the top of his lungs.  
By the way a hand slowly rubbed over her face, Bumblebee knew Raven was about to have a nervous breakdown! Knowing she'd better intervene, she quickly come up behind them. "Yo!" she hollered, getting their attention. "Isn't that a video store over there?" For a minute, it was like the petty dispute was suddenly forgotten! Eyes lighting up, the twins looked from her to themselves with excited grins on their faces.  
"Si! Si!" Mas shouted, tugging on his brothers arm. "Estamos fuera de aqui!" (We're out of here!) As they shot off at the speed of light, Bumblebee hollered out, "Yeah? Just make sure you're here in about an hour!"  
"Si!" Letting out a chuckle, Bumblebee gave Raven a playful glance.  
"Besides. . .I didn't think they'd want to stick around, here anyway." She said, pointing up at the sign overhead. Looking up, Raven's aggravated glance immediately widened to an intrigued one. For not only were they standing in front of a huge coffeeshop. But by the blackened outfits and beanie caps some of the kids wore, she knew it was more of a gothic hangout. . .and right up her ally!  
"Now. . .I knew this was more your style. . ." Bumblebee said, fifteen minutes later. Together her and Raven were sitting in the darkest and quietest corner of the café, chilling to the jazz. . .and dark poetry. Taking the teabag out of her cup, Raven nodded and said, "Know me rather well, huh?" Raising an eyebrow, Bee replied,  
"Mmm-hmm. I also know that the boys were definitely getting on your nerves." Caught off guard by her truthful observation, Raven shrugged. "Uh. . .sorry?"  
"Hey. . .that's ok." Bee said, waving a hand at her. "I know they're high strung. . ."  
Letting out a flustered sigh, Raven shook her head. "Gee, you think?" Rather playfully she leaned forward and mocked, "Hey, you think you'd be used to all that hyperactivity, with Beastboy around."  
Cocking her head, Raven folded her arms and said, "Let me tell you something. Compared to them two, Beastboy is a lamb!" Struck funny over that comment, Bumblebee let out an amused chuckle. Now she noticed the grin on Raven's face and said, "Ooooh. Is that a smile, I see?"  
"Yes. . ." Raven mocked. Sighing she added, "As much as I hate to admit it, Cyborg was right. I'm glad he kicked me out. . ." Raven replied, taking a sip of her tea. Setting her spoon down on the table, Bee then asked,  
"So. . .What do you think of Steel City far?"  
Shooting her a glance, Raven asked, "Honestly? You've seen one city, you've seen them all. . ." she mimed as Bee slowly shook her head. "The only difference between here and the West Coast, is that they have more café's than veggie bars." Eyes narrowing, Bee asked, "Veggie bars? Since when are you a vegetarian?"  
"I'm not. . .but Beastboy is." Now gradually, Bumblebee began to notice a troubled expression cross over Raven's face. Beginning to  
pick up on her signals, Bee artfully replied, "You know. . .I talked  
to him this morning. . ."  
"Oh?" Raven asked, trying to be nonchalant.  
"Yeah. He said that Terra is making remarkable progress. . .and is beginning to adjust rather well." Shooting her a derisive glance, Raven muttered, "That doesn't surprise me. Terra has always been able to adjust to anything." Thinking about it, she added, "But I suppose that's a good thing, right? At least she'll be able to move on." Knowing there was a little more to this conversation, Bee began to twiddle with her napkin. "He uh. . . also keeps asking about you."  
Although Raven tried to disguise it, Bee could still see the look of intrigue flicker in her eyes. "Really?"  
"Yeah. You know. . .it seems like every time he calls, you disappear."  
"Well. . .I can't be at two places at once." Raven replied with a clip of sarcasm in her voice. "Did you tell him I've been busy?"  
"Um-hmm. . .And so has Cyborg, but he's had time to talk to him. Why haven't you?" She asked, watching as Raven shot her an irritated glance. Smirking at her, Bee's head slowly cocked.  
"You're not fooling me, girl. I know you're avoiding him. . ."  
she mocked, as Ravens eyes rolled with frustration. Deciding to fish a little more, she cleverly added, "Not that I blame you, though. With ya'll age difference, I'm sure he's like an annoying little brother, hmm?" From the surprised look on Ravens face, Bumblebee knew she'd pressed the right buttons. Raising an eyebrow, Raven mocked,  
"Age difference? Come on, Bee. He's not that young. Only by a year." Thinking on it a little more, she shrugged then added, "Although sometimes it does feel more like dog years!" Letting out a chuckle, Bumblebee asked, "Why you say that?"  
"Because he was so obnoxious and immature! And we were both so opposite that got on my nerves all the time. But just recently, he's grown up a lot. And. . .I found out that we're not so different after all." Putting her head down, Raven replied, "He's shown a side of himself that I've never witnessed before. . .Serious. depressed. . ."  
"Yeah, I know. Cyborg and Robin told me that the whole Terra thing really freaked him out."  
"Yeah. You might say that. . ." Sighing deeply, she muttered, "But he. . .um, spilled some things about himself that I wasn't expecting to hear. Things that were so bad, that it's got me looking at him a little differently, now. And what's worse is, that I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. And it's driving me crazy!" Raven hissed, beginning to grow very troubled. Silently Bumblebee watched as she continued to avoid her eyes, glaring more at the table. "I mean, I've never gone through anything like this before. I've always been able to let things go. But this keeps gnawing away at me, and I can't figure out why." Slowly shaking her head, Bumblebee smiled and said,  
"Raven. Did it ever once occur to you that maybe, your heart has changed too?" Eyes narrowing with suspicion, she babbled, "What do you mean?"  
"Well. . .You said you were looking at B.B. a little differently. The question is. . .how different?" For a minute, it looked as though Raven got hit with a baseball bat. The very idea of what Bumblebee meant had her eyes widening, and the blood rushing to her face.  
Completely thrown off guard by that implication, her head slowly began to shake. Swallowing hard, she whispered, "I don't think so. . ."  
"Are you sure?" Bee pressed, giving Raven an earnest peer. "Because something made you run away. . .But what?" Her question had Raven looking away, suddenly realizing that for the first time ever, the hidden feelings of heart had finally been exposed. By then Raven was so mortified, that she could barely look Bee in the face. Very moved over her upset reaction, Bee gently replied,  
"Look, Rae. I know you have this thing about controlling your emotions."  
"I have too. . ." she defensively cut off with a cracked voice.  
"I don't have a choice."  
"I know. But what's so dangerous about caring for somebody? I mean, love may be a powerful emotion. . .but it's a also positive one, remember? I really don't think it would hurt to let it go. . ." Painfully gazing up at her, Raven whispered,  
"Yes, it would. Because it's already too late. " Thrown off guard by  
that reply, Bee's eyes slowly narrowed with suspicion. "What are you talking about?"  
Unable to take anymore, Raven shook her head and crossly answered, "Nothing. Can we please get off the subject?" Actually  
feeling her frustration, Bee sighed then nodded.  
"Ok. . .But I'm telling you as your friend, that you need to deal with whatever it is that's eating away at you, before you go home. Otherwise you won't be any better off than you were when you left. You'll just be plain miserable. . ." Actually letting out a painful chuckle, Raven shook her head and replied,  
"I'm already miserable. So it won't make a difference what I do. . ."


	9. Chapter 9

Although the touchy subject was dropped, Raven was still overwhelmed by all that had transpired. So much so, that before she knew it, it was already time for her and Cyborg to head back to the West Coast. This only made her situation even direr.  
As much as she hated to admit it, Bumblebee was right. Deep down on the inside, Raven did feel worse than before. But by that point she realized that it was time to practice what she'd preached to Starfire on many occasions. To deal with it, and not let her emotions get the best of her! After all. . .she brought this trauma on herself, so it was her own tough luck! Therefore, this made her even more determined face the situation, and get through it, whether she wanted to or not!

As for Cyborg, his dilemma was figuring out a way to get the B machine to its new destination. Although he didn't want to, he decided on this one rare occasion, to make the ultimate sacrifice. Reluctantly he handed Bee the keys, and she and Raven drove back in his car. While he and the twins drove in B's car. In the rear, Speedy rode separately in the team's vehicle, so they'd have a way to get back when it was all over.

By the end of the week long, cross-country trip, the upcoming view of Jump City was a sight for Raven's sore eyes. But that was nothing compared to the way Cyborg felt. As they crossed over the Golden Gate, Ravens communicator went off. Flipping it open she saw the big grin on Cyborgs face. "Oh, Raven. We're hooome." He cooed. Unable to help herself, Raven smiled back. "Yeah, I know. Feels good. I can't wait to see my room."  
"Uhh. . .Well, you might have to wait a little longer. I just talked to Robin. He said that B.B. and Terra have been gone all day. She's been keeping him distracted while the others are planning a huge birthday party for him at the Tower."  
"Who gonna be there?" Bee asked. Looking over at her, he replied,  
"Most of the Titans from around the city, and a few of B's other friends. Actually, some of them are at the Tower now helping Robin and Starfire get it together. But I need to get the B machine over there before he and Terra get back."  
"So what's the problem?" Raven asked with a shrug. Before he had a chance to answer, Menos's face literally popped out at her. "Tacos! Quermos algun tacos! (Tacos! We want some tacos!"  
"Si!" Minos hollered on the side of him. Shooting her a mocking glance, Cyborg replied,  
"Does that answer your question? The boys want to stop off at that Mexican joint in the mall. How about meeting me there and I'll drop them off to you-" Suddenly he stopped cold, thrown off to the sounds of loud growling. Putting a hand over her stomach, Raven gave them an embarrassed grin. Clearing her throat she said, "Uh. . .Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. . ."

Although Raven was indeed a whole lot hungrier than she thought, she began to get this uneasy feeling that something wasn't quite right. So much so that Bee looked over at her and asked, "What's the matter, Rae?" Staring straight ahead, Raven replied,  
"I don't know. I just got this feeling that something weird is about to happen." Before she had a chance to say anything else, her communicator went off once again. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Raven quickly flipped it open. "Yeah?"  
"Raven. . ." Robin said with a big smile on his face. "Boy. . .am I glad to see you."  
Unable to help it, a shy grin crossed over her face. "Same here." She said as some of the other Titans gathered around him and began to wave at her.  
"Hey Raven. . ." they all mimed at the same time. Timidly she waved back.  
"Hi guys." she replied, looking back at Robin. "Judging by that crowd, I take it you're ready?"  
"Definitely. Everybody will wait up here, while I go down in the hanger with Starfire, and Cyborg to wait for Beastboy. We'll meet you there, ok?" Nodding, she replied,  
"No problem. We're on our way."

As they hurriedly made their way through the maze of stores, Raven happened to notice something out the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure at first, but further she walked, the more she began to make out the back of Beastboys head! Eyes widening, she backed away just in time to see him and Terra go into a jewelry store. Stepping out a bit, Raven watched as they walked up to the counter and the salesman approached them.  
"Well, good evening Mr. Logan. I've been expecting you. . ." He replied, reaching under the display case. Now his hand emerged holding a tiny black box. "I'm sure you will find our merchandise to be in the highest quality." He said, sliding it across the counter.  
"Oh, I'm sure it will be." Beastboy replied, signaling Terra to come a little closer. Now he slowly raised up the lid. By the way their eyes widened, Raven knew it must've been something very nice. "Ohh. . ." Terra replied, shaking her head. "It's so pretty!"  
"Well, it should be. You picked it out!" he chuckled, as she took it from him to get a better look. By then Bumblebee had caught up with Raven, and was rather surprised by  
her bewildered state. "Raven what's. . ." Now she stopped cold, her eyes fixed on the same shocking display that Raven was marveling at.  
As she now watched along with her, all Bee could think about was the private conversation they had a couple of weeks ago at the café. Being the only one who was privileged enough to know the truth, oh, how she felt for Raven now. Sadly she watched as Raven fought with everything she had not to let her true feelings show. But it was no use. Gradually a crushed expression crept over her face.  
Slowly shaking her head, Bee muttered,  
"Oh, boy." Looking down at Raven, she whispered, "Hey. . .Are you alright?"  
Inhaling deeply, Raven hesitated then replied, "Just super. . ." Not wanting to be seen, she quickly muttered, "Come on. Let's get out of here."  
Right when her and Bee were about to turn away, Mas Y Menos had already seen, and flew up to the happy couple. Groaning with disgust, Raven watched as they simultaneously replied,  
"Buenos Noches, amigos!" (Good evening friends!) Rather startled by their abrupt appearance, Beastboy let out a chuckle then replied,  
"Well, hey little dudes! What's shakin?"  
"Nada mucho, hombre. . ." (Nothing much, man.) Mas said, while Menos stood on his tiptoes. "Tan que esta en la caja?" (So what's in the box?)  
"Oh, just a little something I bought for. . ." Now Beastboy hesitated, giving him a hard glance. "Wait a minute. . .What are you two doing-"  
Suddenly he stopped short to the sound of Terra's breath loudly sucking in, as though she had gotten punched in the stomach. Rather amused by her stupefied expression, Beastboy chuckled, "What's with you?"  
"We have company. . ." she whispered in a cracked voice.  
"What?"  
"Look behind you. . ." Terra hissed through her teeth. Getting a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach, Beastboy done as she said. . .only to find his mouth falling open with disbelief. "Raven?!" he wheedled in a cracked voice. "W-whoa. You caught me off guard. . ."  
"Obviously." she muttered, watching as Terra quickly slipped the box into her pocket. Giving Raven a tense expression, she smiled and said,  
"So. . .What are you doing here, anyway?" Becoming very annoyed over the way they patronized her, Raven sharply replied.  
"Well. . .this IS a public place, isn't it?" Catching the tone of sarcasm in her voice, Beastboy replied in Terra's defense,  
"Well, yeah. . .But we wasn't expecting to meet up with anybody today. . .Especially you." Actually insulted over that remark, her arms slowly folded. "Why not? I'm not that cold, am I?" she stressed, catching the surprised expression on Beastboys face. "It IS your birthday, isn't it?" Now her eyes gradually shifted down on Terra's pocket, and narrowed. "Or. . .is it HERS. . ."

All the way back to the tower Raven said nothing, but instead glared out the rearview mirror at the happy couple who followed behind them on Beastboys moped. From the side Bee noticed her glare and knew that at the moment, Raven's inner calmness was as bad as the eye of a hurricane! Even Mas Y Menos were silent, knowing that she was in no mood for their nonsense!  
Yet through all the mayhem, Bumblebee was still worried about her. Deciding to push her luck, she cleared her throat loud enough for to get her attention.  
"Um. . .Rae. . .How are you feeling?" Looking away from her, Raven folded her arms and whispered only one word. "Numb. . ."

Upon their arrival, Beastboy and Terra was a little confused as to why Bumblebee pulled up and let Raven out in front of the tower, instead of just driving down into the hanger. "Well, this is weird. . ." he muttered, as they pulled inside the entrance.  
Just when Raven stepped out of the car, one of the first faces to greet her was Starfire. "Raven!" Without thinking she threw both arms around Raven's neck, and gave her a huge glomp. Feeling as though the air had been sucked out of her body, Raven watched as Starfire pulled away, blushing rather sheepishly.  
"Um. . .forgive the hugging, friend. But. . .I've missed you so much!" Unable to help how she truly felt, Raven could feel her downhearted funk slowly lift.  
Cracking a tiny smile, she looked Starfire in the eye and nodded.  
"Yeah? Well. . .I've missed you, too." Touched by her confession, Starfire smiled and threw an arm around her neck. "It's so good to have you back!" Now Raven leaned forward in a rather secretive manner and asked, "Is everything ready?"  
"Yes. . ." Starfire replied, watching as Beastboy and Terra began heading their way. "We'll be waiting-" Stopping dead in the middle of her sentence, she let out a startled gasp. "Oh no! Their early. . ."  
"Yeah, I know." Raven whispered through her teeth. "We sort of ran into them by accident." Literally flying into a panic, Starfire began to nervously mutter.  
"What do we do? What'll we do?!"  
"Star. . ." Raven coolly interjected. "Calm down. I have things under control. Trust me." Knowing Raven meant business, Starfire nodded, then quickly turned and flew back inside the tower.  
As the group of them began walking through the lobby, Terra watched as Raven casually turned and headed in the opposite direction towards the hanger entrance. Confused by this move, Beastboy replied, "Uhhhh. . .Hello? You're room is upstairs. Or have you been gone so long that you've forgotten?" Shooting him an annoyed peer, Raven flatly muttered,  
"No. . .but if you must know, I forgot my bag in the car."  
Beginning to sense that she was up to something, Terra quickly got on the side of her.  
"So. . .you guys just come in, huh?"  
"Sure looks that way. . ." Raven sarcastically replied, not even bothering to look at her. This really seemed to bother Terra. Making sure that Beastboy was out of earshot, she leaned over and whispered, "Well. . .If you would've let me know ahead of time, then maybe we could have planned something together."  
"Terra. . ." Raven interrupted. "Don't sweat it. It's no big deal. . ." Reading straight through her nonchalant front, Terra shook her head. "Yes it is, Raven. What you saw back there. . ."  
"Is none of my business. . ." Raven sharply cut off. Feeling the resentment wash over her, she once again began to pick up the pace. "Besides. . .What difference does it make?" she added, as Beastboy gradually caught up with them. Giving him a  
mean glance, she muttered. "It's all pointless anyway." Catching onto her cynical tone, Beastboy glared at her, then nodded, "Yeah, right! No more pointless than you leaving for over a month and not telling me anything."  
Marveling from his nerve, Raven scoffed and replied, "Excuse me? But since when do I owe you an explanation?" Just as annoyed, Beastboy quickly snapped back,  
"Oh, yeah. . .I forgot, you're too GOOD for that!"  
Not expecting such a sharp comeback, Ravens superior front immediately disappeared. By the marred expression that crossed over her face, Beastboy realized for the first time that he'd actually hurt her feelings. Especially when she turned and levitated away without saying another word. Rolling his eyes with frustration, he began to follow after her. "Come on, Raven. I didn't mean it. . ." Determined to ignore him, Raven deliberately sped up, until she was heading down the hanger steps.  
By then on the verge of desperation, Beastboy replied, "Look, I'm sorry. . .alright. But how did you expect me to act? You just bolted without any warning!" Now he stopped, watching as she continued to fly out ahead of him. Putting his head down in defeat, he sadly whispered, "And you were gone for so long that. . .I really missed you . . ."  
Caught off guard by what he said, Raven found herself slowing up a bit.  
Until eventually she had come to a complete stop. Putting her head down, she could feel him catching up until he was right on the side of her.  
"Raven. . ." he gently whispered, "Would you please tell me what's going on? I've got to know. . ." Slowly her head lifted until her troubled gaze met his. As they silently stared at each other, Beastboy was suddenly taken back over the way Raven's eyes brightly began to shine in the darkness. Looking away from him, her glowing gaze now shifted up toward the ceiling. From her nod, a huge strobe light kicked on shining down on a sleek, metallic vehicle that almost looked like the T-car. The only difference was that the exterior was shiny purple chrome in color, which Beastboy immediately fell for.  
"Sweet. . ." he muttered under his breath. Little did he know that in the darkest corner of the hanger, Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Bee, and the twins were gathered together, watching his every move. Stepping out a bit, Cyborg took out a remote control and aimed it straight at the car. Giving the gang an excited glance, he pressed the button causing the sound system to automatically kick into gear.  
As the music loudly began to thump, Beastboy scratched his head and replied to Terra.  
"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear that was the CD I lost a month ago."  
Now out of the blue, Cyborg stepped out in the open with a big grin on his face. "It is. . .I sorta borrowed it."  
Elated to see his buddy after missing him for a whole month, Beastboy chuckled and said, "Dude! Yo Cyborg, what's up?!"  
"Nothing much, man," he said, giving him a quick high five.  
"How long you've been back?"  
"Not long, dude. . .Maybe an hour." He said as they began to walk up to the car. Giving Raven an artful glance, he looked over at Beastboy and asked, "So what do you think about the ride?"  
"Oh man, it's awesome. I love it!"  
"Yeah. . .me too. I rode it all the way back here on a test run. It's as fast as lightning and purrs like a kitten." Growing very excited Beastboy literally hopped up and down like a little kid. "Dude. . .You GOTTA let me drive this thing. . .You just gotta!" Fighting to keep a straight face, Cyborg shrugged, then replied,  
"Oh, don't worry. . .I think you'll get the chance." He said as Robin and Starfire stepped from out of nowhere. As they all gathered around him with smiles on their faces, Cyborg looked at Beastboy and folded his arms. "But you know, there's just one difference between my car, and this one."  
"What? More power in the boosters?"  
"No. . ." Cyborg mocked with a smile. "You're sound system is better than mine!" Not sure he heard him right, Beastboys head slowly cocked with disbelief. "Uh. Dude. . .What did you say?"  
"You heard him, buddy." Robin said, as he now stepped on the side of him. "The sound system, as well as the car is all yours. A gift to you, from the rest of the team. . ."  
He said as a stunned expression now crept over Beastboys face.  
Feeling almost lightheaded, Beastboy marveled at the group of them. "W-What? No- No way!" He squeaked in a cracked voice. "It's true. We all wanted to make up for the rough times you had before. So, Cyborg and Raven went to Steele City and built  
it for you. It might've taken awhile. . .but it was worth it."  
"I hear ya. Now you won't have to bug me to drive the T-Car. From now on. . .you have the B-car." Completely speechless, Beastboy could only gape up at him touched beyond words. Seeing this motivated Cyborg to reach down putting a hand on his shoulder. "Dude. . .Nobody deserves this more than you. Happy Birthday. . ."  
Having been slapped hard by this wonderful reality, Beastboy slowly turned back around until his widening eyes slowly fell back on the car. Clawing both hands through his hair, he let out a hysterical scream like a teenage girl at a rock concert!  
"Dahhhhhhhhhh, I don't believe it! I don't believe it!" He hollered, zipping up to the car with lightning speed. "I don't believe it! It's mine all mine!" He sang out, actually beginning to dance in circles.  
As the group chuckled at his hysterical reaction, Cyborg looked toward Raven who actually seemed rather pleased, and a bit satisfied. Getting next to his much closer friend, he gently nudged her and asked, "Hmmm. . .I don't know Rae. You think he likes it?"  
Fighting with all she had not to laugh out loud, Raven looked up at him with a smile. "Uh. . .I'm gonna go out on a limb and say. . .YES!" She squeaked, as Beastboy threw both arms around her neck.  
"Do I like it?" he chuckled, giving her a tight squeeze. "What do you think?!" Before Raven what was happening, he leaned forward and gently kissed her on the cheek. In a daze she watched as he pulled away, gently looking into her eyes.  
"Thank you so much. . ." Now just as quickly he turned to Cyborg who playfully threw a hand up in the air. "Whoa, little dude. I know you're happy. . .but you ain't kissing me like that!" Letting out a flustered chuckled, Beastboy replied,  
"I know. . .But I can't tell you how much this means to me! Especially coming from you. . ." He whispered, turning back to Raven. "I never know what to expect. You're so unpredictable. . ." Although a bit thrown off over his deep affection, Raven found herself looking toward Terra who was watching with them an elated expression across her face. Seeing this caused her senses to immediately return. Feeling her guard beginning to rise again, Raven calmly looked at him and whispered,  
"Oh yeah? Well from the looks of it, I'm not the only one. . ."


	10. Chapter 10

Determined to stay ahead of the group, Raven took off and headed for the Ops room. She wasn't too far down the hall when she noticed that Bumblebee was quickly approaching from behind. Knowing inside that Bee officially knew about her more than anyone else, Raven slowed down enough for her to catch up. As they continued to walk in silence, Bee's throat cleared in a rather playful manner.  
"Hmmm. . .Now that was interesting. . ." Already knowing what was coming, Raven sighed, looking up out corner of her eye.  
"What was, Bee?"  
"The way B. glomped you back there. . .and that kiss. . .Whooo-whoo. . ."  
"Was spontaneous. . ." she deliberately stressed. "And nothing more."  
"Oh, really? Then why didn't he do that to Terra, instead of you?"  
"Because Terra didn't help build him a car. . .that's why." She sharply retorted. Knowing Raven had her over a barrel, Bee sighed and shook her head. "Girl. . .You are one hardheaded chick. . . You know that?"  
Knowing that she meant that with affection, Raven smirked and said, "Maybe. But I have to be." Now she saw Terra and the rest of the group catching up to them, and immediately felt herself growing annoyed all over again.  
"Besides. . .I saw what I saw. " Throwing the hood of her cloak over her head, she muttered, "And so did you. . ." With that Raven quickly disappeared just as Terra and the others caught up with them.  
Just catching a glimpse of Raven's dark shadow going through the ceiling, Terra slowly shook her head and replied,  
"Oh, boy. She's mad. . .Isn't she?" Feeling rather trapped, Bee shrugged and said,  
"Um. . .I really wouldn't know. . ." Letting out a sarcastic scoff, Terra replied,  
"Well, I do. I've been around the girl long enough to know her signals."  
By then a very excited Beastboy quickly approached the two of them, literally bouncing and jumping around. Rather amused over his tickled state, Bumblebee chuckled and said, "My but we're a happy little thing, aren't we?" Laughing, at her he replied, "Well, yeah? Wouldn't you be?"  
"Just a little. . ." she teased.  
Now she watched as Beastboy looked from her to Terra and mocked, "And I suppose you had a part in this, too?" Giving him an artful grin, Terra nodded and said,  
"Guilty. . .They needed a diversion, and I was nominated. But I didn't think I'd get drafted twice." To her surprise, Bumblebee watched as Terra dug into her pocket and pulled out the black box. "I believe this is yours."  
"Oh, yeah. Thanks. . ." He sheepishly chuckled, taking it from her. "And I'm sorry you had to take the heat like that. You know. . .with Raven. . ."  
Shaking her head, Terra shrugged and said, "Hey, it's not the first time. And from the looks of it, it won't be the last. " Picking up on the hurt in her voice, Beastboy gently draped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey. . .Come on, Terra. Right now, she doesn't know any better." He said as they continued to head toward the Ops room. Submersed in her own thoughts, Terra shook her head and replied, "It doesn't matter. . .The fact is that she doesn't like me, and never has. Not that I blame her. There's just too much damage."  
Rather caught up in the moment, Bee asked with concern,  
"Hey. . .aren't you being a little hard on yourself?" Her question had Terra looking up at her rather cynically. "No offense. . .but you don't know my track record."  
"I know enough. . ." Bumblebee hinted, catching the surprised expression on Terra's face. This was followed by a look of humiliation. "Why does that not surprise me." she muttered, more herself than to Bee. Sighing with frustration Terra peevishly replied,  
"Well. . .then you oughta know that all I ever do is stir up trouble, whether I want to or not. That's why I'm better off alone!"  
Before she could say anything else, the Ops room doors slid open to a mass of fellow Titans, who all spontaneously yelled, "Surprise!" Once again causing Beastboy to jump, and scream like a girl. As they welcomed him in, Bumblebee looked down at a very troubled Terra and shook her head. "Hmph! Well. . .from the looks of it, it ain't gonna happen tonight." She said, as Terra sadly looked up at her. "So come on. . .You're with this rowdy group whether you like it or not!"

After about an hour of stuffing himself with cake and tofu ice cream, the real party commenced! Pumped with adrenaline and sugar, Beastboy watched as Speedy jumped up from the table and shouted, "Let's get this party started!"  
From the back Cyborg flipped the main breaker, causing all the lights to simultaneously shut off. Through the hooting and hollering of the others, laser lights of all colors now flooded over the darkened area, giving the place an illuminating, club like effect. Slowly Cyborgs ever-popular glitter ball began to lower in the center of the room, causing bright sparkles to flood over everything. This was followed by the sounds of techno music that began to loudly pulsate throughout the entire place. Completely awestruck, Beastboy could only stare out in wonder.  
"Sweet! It's like being in my own private club. . ."  
Before he had a chance to say anything more, he felt himself being yanked on the arm by Bumblebee. "Come on, birthday boy! Let's rock this place!" She hollered, now beginning to bounce and sway to the rhythm of the music. Laughing at the way she playfully gyrated and shook, Beastboy joined in and continued to dance the night away and have a ball.  
During his heightened excursion, he noticed how Raven stood in the background with Robin and Starfire, and silently watched. Although she was still cloaked, this didn't seem to bother him. He knew inside that big crowds weren't her thing, and she'd done this on many occasions. Still he wished that just this once, she would've joined in on the fun. Yet after all Raven had done for him, he just appreciated the fact that she was there at all!  
His thoughts were soon distracted when Mas Y Menos leaped in the middle of the crowd. Jumping on each side of Beastboy began to bump each other to the rhythm of the music. Completely carried away by the hypnotic beats, Mas screamed out,  
"Baje bebe'!" (Get down, baby!)  
"Hhhheeee haaaaaah!" Menos shouted at the top of his lungs, causing everyone around them to burst out laughing. In the meantime Aqualad, amused by the whole sight, glanced down to notice the smirk on Ravens half concealed face,  
"Man. . .They've lost their minds." he mocked, as they now grabbed Beastboy by each an arm and began to promenade in a circle, like they were square dancing!  
Inwardly regaled by the whole scene, her head slowly began to shake.  
"Yeah. Boys will be boys. . ."  
"You're right. . .And I think I'll join them!" Now he too jumped in the middle of the hopping group, and began to dance along with them! Rolling her eyes, Raven was just about to turn away when she noticed that Terra was standing maybe ten feet away from her, sitting alone at the snack table. Although surprised that she didn't notice her sooner, Raven saw the dismal expression and knew that something was eating away at her. And apparently, she wasn't the only one who noticed. From the dance floor Beastboy saw the depressed look on Terra's face, and shook his head.  
"Oh, no. This ain't gonna work!"  
For a minute, Raven was rather taken back over the way he suddenly hopped off the floor and began heading in her direction. Strangely, she began to feel her stomach fluttering as he drew closer and closer to her. Could it be. . .that he was actually going to ask her to dance? He wouldn't dare! She thought as he smiled at her. Giving Raven a playful wink. He asked, "Having fun, I hope?" Fighting to keep a straight face, Raven sarcastically replied in a rather mocking tone, "Oh, yeah. A blast. . ."  
"You better be. . ." he replied, giving her a playful wink. Now before Raven knew what was happening, he'd already passed her up, and gone straight to Terra.  
"Uh. . .Excuse me, ma'am!" he playfully shouted, getting her attention. "But I know you're not sitting there by yourself! You better get down on this floor and dance with me!" Although surprised, Terra hesitated, then replied,  
"Um. . .I'm really not up to it."  
Already knowing why, Beastboy wasn't about to let it slide. "What do you mean, you're not up to it. Come on, girl. You know you want to shake it!" He playfully cooed, bumping his rump into hers. By then, there was no way Terra couldn't stay upset. Especially around him! Laughing out loud she replied, "You're crazy. You know that, right?"  
"That's what you love about me. . ." he mocked, "Come on. . ."  
Although she didn't want it to happen, Raven began to get that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Silently she watched as he grabbed Terra by the hand took her on the floor. In no time at all the two of them began to bump and grind the same way the boys had done. Only this time, she didn't find it so amusing!  
Especially when the song came to an end the beat of the music changed, turning very soft and romantic. Now instead of letting Terra go, Beastboy continued to hold her as they began to slow dance together. If seeing that wasn't enough, Raven watched as a very nervous Robin looked toward Starfire, and began to fidget.  
"Um. . .Star. . .You wanna dance?"  
For a minute, Raven could actually see the deep love for him reflect off her pretty green eyes. "Oh, Robin. I'd love too. . ."  
Loosening up, Robin smiled and gently took her by the hand. Together the two of them walked in the center of the crowd. Pulling her close to him, Robin timidly rested his head on her shoulder. The mere sight of this had Raven wanting to disappear. Even Starfire. . .who was an alien, had more place here, than she did! And it was plain pitiful! Never in her life did she feel more alone, then at this very minute.  
At the same time, Beastboy who was completely oblivious to what was going on, was just starting to catch his breath. From the side of him, Cyborg and Bumblebee chuckled at his flustered state. "Having fun, are you?"  
"Aww man, are you kidding? This is the happiest night of my life! I mean. . .It's all been like a dream. Especially with the car. . .I'm still trippin over the car!" He wheedled, as the others laughed at him. "And I still can't believe you and Raven done that for me." Rather proud, Cyborg nodded and replied,  
"Yeah. . .at first I had to do a little arm twisting. But after awhile I finally talked her into helping me out."  
Now at first, Beastboy couldn't figure out why everybody's eyes seemed to widen simultaneously. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that something Cyborg just said wasn't quite right. "Wait a minute, dude. I thought you said that's why Raven went out there." He asked, as his eyes widened with shock. "To help you build the car."  
Suddenly trapped, Cyborg glanced toward Robin who groaned, then shook his head. The sight of this caused Beastboy to stop dancing with Terra altogether, now giving Cyborg a suspicious peer. "Or was it?" he asked, watching as his eyes rolled with aggravation. Letting Terra go, he stepped back and folded his arms. Giving Cyborg a hard look, he replied, "Dude. . .You're holding out on me. Why don't you tell me the truth, now."  
"It is the truth. . ." Robin calmly intervened. Thinking about it, he shook his head and said, "Look. . .We didn't know what was wrong with her, alright? But you know Raven. . .She keeps everything to herself."  
"Yeah, and she did help me out." Cyborg replied. "But I think it was to  
get her mind off of whatever was that seemed to be bothering her."  
Getting a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Beastboy looked at Terra, who now looked just as disturbed as he felt. At the same time, he also happened to notice that Raven was suddenly nowhere to be found! This caused his hand to reach up, until he'd pulled the birthday hat off his head. Flinging it to the side, he slowly shook his head and muttered, "Yeah. . .Me. . ."  
As he began to walk away from the group, Cyborg felt completely miserable.  
"Great. . ." he muttered under his breath. "Just great!"

Once Raven was away from the noisy crowd, she no longer felt the need to be concealed. Pulling the cloak off her head, she quickly began to head down the hallway. She hadn't gone far when a familiar voice called out. "Hey, Raven. . .Wait up."  
Slowly stopping in her tracks, a frustrated sigh escaped her. Stiffening, she could feel Beastboy approaching from behind until he was standing in the front of her. Although it was dimly lit, she could still feel his curious gaze prying at her, making her very uncomfortable. "I was looking for you. Where are you going?"  
"To my room. . ." She crossly muttered.  
"But why? Just when things are really starting to jump?"  
"Precisely. . ." she cut off. "They're jumping just a little too much for me." Catching on to the suggestive clip in her voice, Beastboy slowly folded his arms.  
"You know. . .I would've asked you to dance with me." He hinted, as she peered at him out the corner of her eye. "But. . .you always said that these things were a waste of time. Remember?"  
Knowing he was telling the truth, Raven could feel herself growing very annoyed. Inhaling deeply she calmly snapped, "They are. . ."  
"But does that mean you have to leave?" he asked. Rolling her eyes, Raven irritably replied, "What difference does it make? It's not like you don't have plenty of company."  
"But it isn't you, Raven. . .And it won't be the same if you go."  
By then Raven was so mixed up inside, that she didn't know what to do. A part of her really did want to stay, but couldn't handle feeling so left out. Looking away from him, her head slowly began to shake. "Look. . .It's getting late, and I've had a long day. . .I'm tired, and I just want to go to bed. Ok?" Turning away from the hurt expression on his face, she whispered, "Goodnight. . ."  
Just as she went to walk away, he called out, "Wait. . ."  
Moaning with frustration, Raven watched as Beastboy now blocked her from going any further. "Don't you know when to quit?"  
"No." he stubbornly persisted. Digging in his pocket, he pulled out a tiny black box. "Here. . .I wanted to give you this earlier. . .but I got little distracted." Recognizing it immediately, Raven gaped at him in confusion. "Wait a minute. . .I saw you give this to Terra." Beginning to loosen up a little, Beastboy chuckled,  
"Well yeah, of course you did. I didn't want you to know this was yours! It would've ruined everything. Now will you open it, please?"  
Shooting him a confused glance, Raven silently done as he ordered. As she flipped open the lid, her breath sharply caught to what awaited her on the inside.  
There neatly tucked in the middle, was a shiny red gemstone about an inch in diameter. Almost resembling a. . .  
"A chakra gem?" Raven breathlessly asked. Now she looked up to see the pleased smile on Beast Boy's face.  
"Yeah. . .that's what it looks like." Mouth falling open, her head slowly shook. "I don't believe it." She whispered, carefully pulling it out the box. "Is this a garnet?"  
"Yeah. . ." Beastboy replied, rather impressed. "Imported from India." He answered, watching as she looked at him with awe. "I know it's not from Azarath, but. . ."  
"It's still beautiful. . ." she interrupted, shaking her head in a daze. "How did you know?"  
"The morning I went and found you up on the rooftop, I saw it drop off your forehead. But I didn't say anything. After that, I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a spare, right?"  
"Right. . .But that doesn't explain why you did this. " Giving her a shrug, he muttered,  
"I don't know. . .I guess I was trying to make up for that stuffed chicken I won for you at the fun park, remember? I know how much you hated it. . ."  
By the way her head slowly cocked, Beastboy could tell Raven in no mood for his kidding around. Especially now! This caused his smile to disappear. Knowing deep down he had to tell the truth, Beastboy found himself becoming very nervous.  
"Ok. . .Getting serious, now." He whispered, blowing out a quick breath. "I did it cause. I know how much your meditation means to you. And. . .I know how much you mean to me." As her eyes slowly widened, Beastboy somehow found the nerve to spill out the rest of his heart. "Look, Raven. I know there's been a lot of times where we didn't get along. And I know I got on your nerves. . . But I never meant any harm. Especially on the day I was really unstable, and my mind was all over the place? I didn't mean to run you off." Hearing this caused her to look back up at him with surprise. "But. . .That isn't why-"  
"Please. . ." he gently cut off. "I've got to say this." Putting her head down, she looked up at him out the corner of her eye, watching as he struggled to find the right words. "After you left, I thought about you constantly. I mean. . sure I missed you when we were apart on missions. But that was kids stuff compared to what I was starting to feel."  
He whispered, watching as she continued to stare at him in a daze. "It even got to the point where I was dreaming about us being together on the sofa. And how good it felt holding you that one time." Beginning to break out into a nervous sweat, Beastboy found himself muttering, "And um. . .how much I wanted to kiss you." Now all at once Raven could feel the heat rushing to her face. Seeing her flustered reaction caused his head to slowly shake. Knowing he'd come this far, he might as well get it all out. "It made me realize something I've been knowing all along." Hesitating only for a moment, Beastboy gathered every ounce of nerve he had and replied, "That my feelings for you are deeper than friendship." He whispered, shakily reaching for her hand. "A lot deeper."  
Revised  
For a minute all Raven could do was marvel at Beastboy, completely swept away by his unexpected confession. Eventually coming to her senses, she timidly asked,  
"If that's the way you really feel, then why didn't you ever tell me?" Letting out a small sigh, he replied,  
"Because. . .I deep down I always felt like you thought I was an idiot, and would'nt have taken me seriously. . ."  
For Raven this sad fact was indeed the final blow to all she'd kept hidden inside. With the truth being exposed, it felt as though the weeks of hidden pain and disappointment finally began to catch up to her, causing the tears to well up in her eyes. Slowly shaking her head she bitterly mimed,  
"You're right. I probably wouldn't have. . ." Unable to bear it anymore, she quickly turned away from him and put her head down. Having finally lost the battle, Raven could feel her composer beginning falling apart, as the tears began to slide down her cheeks. Getting a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Beastboy quickly approached her from behind.  
"Oh, man. . .I didn't mean anything. . .I was only. . ." He muttered, sighing heavily. "Oh, Raven. . .I'm sorry. . ."  
Hearing him apologize had Raven's gaze tearfully shifting up to the ceiling with frustration. "For what?" she sniffled, glancing at him over her shoulders. "You're always apologizing to me. . .when it should be the other way around. . ."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"I. . .I never knew you had such a tragic past. How could I, when I was such a  
jerk!"  
For Beastboy, to have her even acknowledge something so personal about him was one thing. But her rare display of grief and remorse, was more than he could bear. He simply wasn't used to it! Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he whispered, "Raven. Please don't do this. . ."  
"But. . .It's true." She weakly argued. "I've never taken you seriously, because I've been so selfish. And I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you that day. But when I saw you holding on to Terra. . .I thought it was too late." Sniffling, she roughly wiped her eyes and added, "That's why I left. . I thought maybe it was for the best. . ."  
For a minute Beastboy was so stunned over what she said, that he could only stare at her back in silence. Before Raven knew what was happening, Raven felt herself being turned around, until she was facing the now very earnest expression on his face. Tenderly gripping her by the shoulders, he replied,  
"Raven, listen to me. . .What you saw, wasn't what you think. Sure. . .I was holding onto her, but I wasn't myself." He said as she timidly looked at him out the corner of her eye. "And in case you forgot, Terra broke my heart and I've never been able to recover." Shaking his head, he shrugged and added, "The only reason she was with me today, was because she helped me pick out your present." Not sure she heard him correctly, Ravens eyes widened with surprise.  
"What?" she choked out.  
"It's true. . ." he said with a shrug. "I don't know anything about gemstones. . . and I needed a girls opinion. I wanted Star to help me. . .but, she's an alien, remember? But Terra. . .well, she's been around the world a lot more than we have. And when she found out what I was up to, she jumped at the idea." He whispered, as a touched expression crossed over her face. "Don't you see? Terra being around all the time. . .was nothing compared to you not being here at all. . .I don't love her, Raven. Not. . .like I love you."  
For a minute, Raven was so swept away by his sweet, tender words, that she could only look away from him in a daze. This had Beastboy realizing what he'd just blurted out, causing the heat to rush to his face. Although very nervous, he knew it was too late to turn back now. "I only wish that you felt the same way about me." Knowing deep down the way she really felt, Raven could hide it no longer. Especially now. Gathering all the nerve she could muster, she timidly whispered,  
"I do. . ."  
Not sure of what he heard, his head slowly lifted, until he was gazing up at her with surprise. "What?" The uncertainty of his question only had Raven feeling more awkward. Inhaling a deep breath, she hopelessly gazed up at the ceiling and whispered,  
"I said. . .I do love you. But. . .I've held back for so long, I don't know how to show it." Before Beastboy could reply, slow music softly began to echo from the Ops Room. This caused him to look back toward Raven with a lazy grin on his face.  
"Well. . .you can start by dancing with me."  
"What?" she asked, a little caught off guard.  
"Yeah. . ." he whispered. "Right here in the hall." Now he watched as she timidly turned away from him, as though thinking about it. "Umm. . .I can't dance." she nervously whispered. Already knowing her true secret he chuckled, then replied,  
"I know that. . ." Raising an eyebrow with playful suspicion, Raven asked, "So. . .what's the point?"  
"You'll see. . ." he replied, taking her by the hand.  
Now before Raven knew what was happening he'd pulled her against him, until he was holding her in his arms. Now little by little, they began to sway to the rhythm of the music. But that wasn't all that was happening. Gradually, Raven found herself beginning to edge a little closer, and a little closer. . .until she was resting her head on his shoulder. By then Beastboy found himself caught up with the sweet smell of her perfume. So much so that he pulled her even closer, and began to gently stroke the back of her hair. The softness of his touch caused Raven to deeply inhale, only to find herself snuggling up against him even more. As he continued to hold onto her, Raven began to realize what his true motives really were. There was definitely more to dancing than met the eye.  
It was the closeness. . .the physical contact that she had been denying herself for so many years, because of her own fears. And now that it was actually happening to her, it slowly began to occur to Raven how much she really liked it! At the same time Beastboy looked down at her and whispered, "Now. . this isn't so pointless is it. "  
Completely lost in his embrace, Raven softly replied. "No. . .Not when it's with you." Momentarily she could feel herself being pulled away, until she was staring into his tender gaze.  
Knowing deep down what he wanted to do had her heart beginning to pound. Swallowing hard, she could feel him gently began to pull her forward. Through closed eyes Raven could his lips press against hers, kissing her light enough to send her into a dreamy state of mind. As she timidly responded back, Raven could hear Bumblebee's words of wisdom flowing through her head. _(What's so wrong about caring for somebody. . .It may be powerful, but it's positive, remember? I really don't think it would hurt to let it go. . .let it go. . .)_  
It was as though the wall around her heart crumbled to the ground, and a flood of emotions was finally released, causing her to completely let go. Groaning in surrender, she slid her arms around his neck, hugging him so tightly that Beastboy let out a startled gasp! Gathering his wits about him, he then met Raven halfway, kissing her with the same deep passion and love that she was now expressing so openly. . .so willingly.  
This continued to go on for a few timeless minutes. Until finally when they did break the kiss off, he was nearly breathless.  
"Whoooohoo. . ." he cooed out. "If that was holding back. . .then I'd love to see you really let go. . ." Through half closed eyes, Raven found herself grinning at him.  
"I wasn't. . .Not where you're concerned. . .Not anymore."  
Now gradually her smile disappeared as she gazed into his eyes. "But, it is kind of sad though."  
"What is?"  
"Well, it's your birthday, and you're the one giving me a present." She whispered as he continued to hold her close. "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything. . .you know. .personally." Gaping down at her, he chuckled then said,  
"What are you, kidding? You gave me, you, Raven. Which is better than ten cars!"  
Now she noticed that troubled expression cross over his face. "You won't take it back, will you?" Understanding his insecurity, Raven shook her head and replied,  
"Beastboy, I just gave you my heart. . .and a part of my soul. Which is something I don't give up easily. You know that. . ."  
"Maybe. .but promise me something, Ok?" he whispered, gently caressing the side of her face. "What?"  
"That you don't ever leave me again."  
Overwhelmed by all she was feeling, Raven sincerely felt herself whisper,  
"Only if you promise not to let me go." Swept away by what she said, Beastboy chuckled, then pulled her close to him once again. "Oh, I promise. . .but you're gonna to be sorry you said that." Staring into his soft green eyes, her head slowly began to shake.  
"No, I won't. . ." she replied, just seconds before he tenderly began to kiss her once again.

By this time, Cyborg couldn't stand it any longer. Feeling simply miserable, his intentions were to come check on his buddy to make sure he was alright. And he wasn't alone. Robin, who also felt responsible for ruining Beastboys party, had also come with him. . .wanting to make sure that he hadn't fallen into another depressed state. But what they were now witnessing in the front of the hallway, had them wondering if perhaps someone didn't spike the punch. . .and they were hallucinating!  
As Robins mouth fell open, a grin slowly crossed over Cyborgs face. "Boo-yah." he whispered through his teeth. At the same time, Robin, who was still marveling at the two of them asked, "Um. . .are my eyes deceiving me? Or are we in the wrong hallway?" Chuckling under his breath, Cyborg muttered,  
"Oh, we're in the right hall, alright. But are they the right people?"  
By then the two had become so wrapped up with each other, that either of them noticed that they were being watched. That is, until a throat loudly cleared.  
"Uhh-Hmmm!" Cyborg playfully mocked, causing them to spring apart.  
Instantly Raven felt the blood rushing to her face. And she wasn't the only one, underneath Beastboy's green complexion, his cheeks had flushed a crimson red. Out the corner of his eye he watched as Raven spun away from them, facing the other direction.  
At the same time, Robin and Cyborg walked up to them. Impish, and proud over their unexpected discovery. Grinning deviously, Cyborg cocked his head at the two of them and fiendishly mocked, "Well. . .We came to check and see if you were alright. But from the looks of it. . .you seem to be doing just fine!" Gaping toward the flustered expression on Raven's face, Beastboy let out a nervous chuckle.  
"Uh yeah. . .We were uh. um, talking." His alibi caused Cyborgs eyes to deviously narrow.  
"Really? With what? Your lips?" This bold question had Raven so embarrassed that all she wanted to do was disappear. By then Robin was also fighting not to laugh out loud. But no matter how much he tried, the smile still showed through. Still. . .he was faithful to intervene.  
"Umm. Dude. . ." he chuckled. "You're guests are asking about you. Should I tell them you're busy?" That question had Beastboy realizing that through all the mayhem, there was still a party going on.  
"Uh. . no. . .I'm coming." He timorously replied.  
At the same time, his gaze found Raven's rather questioning. Already knowing what he was thinking, a tiny smile crossed over her lips.  
"Go on. I'll meet you. I just have to pick this up, first." She said, lifting the gift for the other two to see.  
This cause a proud smile to cross over Beastboys face. Reassured, he gave her a nod.  
"Ok. . ." And together, he and Robin began heading back toward the crowded Ops room, leaving her and Cyborg alone.

Knowing deep down all Raven that had endured through over the past month. . . Cyborg suddenly understood why, and found himself very gratified for her sake. Giving her a tender smile, he looked down at her and replied, "I know I was only foolin before. . .But I am really happy for you. It's about time you worked things out." Very appreciative, Raven nodded and whispered, "I know. . ."  
As she turned and began to head for her room, she heard Cyborg playfully mock. "And don't worry. You're secret is safe with me. . ."  
This caused Raven to gradually stop until she was gazing at him over her shoulder. Eyes artfully narrowing, she asked, "Uh. . .Who said it was a secret?"  
Surprised by her bold declaration, Cyborg couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. Giving her a proud nod, he replied,  
"Well, you go, girl!"


	11. Chapter 11

All through the night Raven remained awake, her mind and heart mixed up over all that had happened between her and Beastboy. So much so, that she found herself getting up before the crack of dawn. Although her intentions were to be alone, she soon discovered that she wasn't. For sitting at the breakfast table, were Aqualad, Bumblebee, and Terra, who looked just as surprised as she was. "Well, hello tea-girl. What's up?"  
Used to being called that nickname from the Eastside visit, Raven shook her head. "Nothing much," she replied, giving Bumblebee a mocking glance. "Ummm. Don't you guys believe in sleep?"  
"No? Do you?" Letting out a scoff, Raven muttered,  
"Hmph. Not recently. . ." Already getting the entire scoop from Cyborg, a huge grin crossed over Bee's face. "Hmmm. . .I wonder why?" She mocked, as the other two began chuckling under their breaths. Feeling the blood rush to her cheeks, Raven quickly blocked their view by swinging open the kitchen cabinet. As she desperately tried to control her embarrassment, she noticed the huge stack of tea bags in front of her.  
"Whoa. . ." She deliberately said, "Somebody sure went overboard on the tea. . ."  
"I did. . ." replied a familiar voice. Turning around, Raven watched as Terra  
approached her from behind. Giving her a sheepish shrug, she replied, "While you were gone I tried it, and liked it so much that I sourta drank it all. So I replaced it for you. . ."  
Very appreciative, Raven nodded,  
"Thanks. . ." she said, grabbing her kettle from off the stove. As she turned for the sink, Terra immediately noticed something different about Ravens appearance. Staring at her forehead, she smiled and said, "Oh, and you're wearing the gem. . .Sweet. . .It looks good on you.  
"Yeah. . ." Raven replied, surprised that she noticed so quickly. That's when she remembered the truth, causing her to suddenly feel very awkward. Giving Terra a troubled glance, she set the kettle on the counter and replied,  
"Look Terra. . .About yesterday. I know I was hard on you. And I'm sorry-" Putting a hand up in the air, Terra shook her head. "Don't." she cut off. "You didn't know. . .and you don't owe me anything. It's ok." Giving her a serious gaze, Raven asked,  
"Then why? That's all I want to know. . ."  
Beginning to feel just as uncomfortable as Raven, Terra could only shrug her shoulders.  
"Why not? I mean, I put you guys through so much. Especially Beastboy. . ." she muttered, now finding it harder to look Raven in the face. "I really wanted to make amends, but I didn't know how. Until you left, and I saw that puppy-dog look in his eyes." Sighing, Terra shook her head and added, "It was that same look he used to give ME. After that. . .It was "Raven, this," and "Raven, that."  
Although in a daze over what she'd said, Raven watched as Terra looked up at her. Her eyes glistening with tears. "He loves you, ya know."  
Touched over the way Terra opened up to her, Raven could feel her chest growing heavier and heavier. Swallowing hard, she whispered, "I know. . ."  
Fighting with all she had to stay strong, Terra loudly cleared her throat,  
"Anyhow. . .That's why I helped him, you know? I guess I wanted to make up in some kind of way." Deeply moved, Raven found herself looking into her sad gaze.  
Giving her a timid smile, she replied, "Believe me, Terra. You have. More than words can say." There for the first time in history, she held her arm out in a friendly manner. Overwhelmed by her gesture, Terra timidly reached forward and took her by the hand. "Thank you. . ." Raven whispered, briefly holding it with affection. "For everything."

Their transitional moment was interrupted when Mas y Menos barged into the kitchen. Zooming at the speed of light, Mas whipped passed Raven, snatching a box of cereal off the counter, while the other one grabbed the milk out of the icebox. While he slammed the door shut, Raven's eyes rolled with annoyance.  
"Great. Like they need more sugar to get them hyper. . ."  
As Terra chuckled under her breath, Mas chirped out, "Buenos dias, senoras." (Good morning, ladies.) Without even thinking twice about it, Terra chipperly replied,  
"Buenos dias, muchachos. Que tiembla?" (Good morning, boys. What's shaking?) Marveling at her with disbelief, Mas stopped dead in his tracks. Slamming the carton of milk down on the counter, he gaped at his brother and replied,  
"Oh? Ella entiende el espanole?!" (Oh? She understands Spanish?!) Letting out a chuckle, Terra nodded and replied,  
"Well, yeah. . . When you've been around as much as I have, you kinda learn to adapt."  
Now she watched as Bee, Aqualad and Speedy looked from themselves back to her.  
"Well then maybe you come back and give us a Spanish lesson?" Not sure she heard him correctly, Terra suspiciously marveled at the three of them.  
"Come again?" Smiling at her, Bumblebee replied.  
"I said. . .that maybe you'd want to come back with us. . .and give Titans East a try."  
"You mean. . .you want me to be a part of your team?" Letting out a chuckle, Aqualad replied, "Well, yeah. I mean. . .you didn't think I got to know you this much. . .just to leave you behind. I was hoping you'd want to come back with us." Hesitating, he gave her a very tender glance then added, "with ME. . ."  
For a minute, Terra was so surprised that she could only marvel at him in disbelief. Then as it began to occur to her what he actually meant, Terra grew so overwhelmed that she couldn't look him, or the others in the face. As she slowly shook her head, Bee placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, Terra. I know you feel like you messed up so much, that you don't deserve to have any friends. But nobody deserves to be alone. We really wish you'd consider joining our team. . ." Now the boys got on each a side of her, tugging on the bottom of her shirt.  
"Venga en, Senorita Terra. . ." (Come on, Miss Terra.) Mas said, looking up at her.  
"Porfa vor?" (Please?) Menos said, giving her a big toothy grin. On the verge of desperation, Terra looked directly at Raven. . .giving her a very serious gaze.  
"What do YOU think I should do?"  
Knowing deep down that Terra really sought her advice, Raven was determined not to take advantage of the situation. Yet at the same time, she had to be truthful. "Honestly? If it were me, I'd go for it." She said as Terra continued to think it over. "I think it would do you good to start over in a new place. And you'd be breaking away from everyone." Now she hesitated, then added, "Including Slade. . ." Raven specified, watching as Terra's widened with apprehension.  
As the east group looked at each other, Bumblebee nodded then said, "She's got a point. Slade ain't much of a New Yorker, if you catch my drift. He's more of a west coast kind of guy. . ." For Terra. . .that was all the convincing she needed to hear.  
Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she nervously wheedled, "When do we leave?" Right away, Aqualad's eyebrows raised with gratification. "Well, alright!" he shouted.

As the others surrounded Terra with happy back patting, Raven watched as the door slid open, and HER family walked inside, with Robin and Starfire in the lead. They were followed by Beastboy and Cyborg who were casually talking and cutting up. That is until Beastboy noticed her standing there, and stopped dead in his tracks. At first, Cyborg couldn't understand why he'd gotten so quiet. Until he noticed the two of them staring at each other rather awkwardly. Grinning deviously, he cooed, "Well. . .well. . .well. . .If it isn't my little love birds."  
Breaking out into a nervous sweat, Raven watched as Beastboy gave Cyborg an annoyed glare. "Will you cut it out!"  
Unable to bear the pressure, Raven turned and began to walk out of the kitchen. As she did, she deliberately glanced at Beastboy over her shoulder. . .signaling him to follow her. Silently he done so. . .until the two of them were standing in the front of the Ops room away from the amused crowd. As Raven stared out of the huge bay window, she could see his reflection approaching her from behind. Fighting to keep a cool head, Raven found herself asking, "So. . .Where were you?"  
"Oh. . .I went and took the B car for a spin. . ."  
"Really?" Raven asked, trying to encourage the subject. "And what did you think?"  
"Well. . .it puts the moped to shame. . .that's for sure." He replied, with some enthusiasm. Then gradually his smile disappeared once again. Now inside Raven knew what was coming. "And I would've asked you to come along, but I really didn't think you'd be interested." Actually feeling herself getting defensive, Raven peered at him and muttered,  
"You don't know that. . ."  
"No. . .But I DO know that you didn't show back up at the party, like you SAID you would. So, I figured what was the point?"  
Now confronted with what she was trying to avoid, Raven felt so bad that she could barely look him in the face. Out the corner of her eye she watched as his head slowly began to shake.  
"I'm confused, Raven. I mean, up until Cyborg and Robin showed up, everything was so wonderful between us. Too wonderful. That's what bothers me. Because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that we never got along that hot in the first place. . .So. . .the thought of everyone seeing us CLOSER. . .might be too hard on you." He whispered, as she slowly began to shake her head. "So. . .if you're ashamed to be seen with me. . .I'll under-" He never had a chance to finish. By then Raven had pressed a hand his lips, now gazing into his eyes.  
Before he knew what was happening, she'd leaned forward until she was tenderly kissing him with the same passion as the night before.  
As Raven pulled away from him, she purposely glanced at the stunned expression on the others faces. Particularly Cyborg, who could only grin and chuckle to himself. Narrowing her eyes with satisfaction, Raven then turned to the now spacey expression on Beastboys face. "Now tell me, GARFIELD. What do you think?"  
To have her actually call him by his real name was one thing. But to deliberately display her affection in front of everyone delighted him to no end! Inhaling deeply, he sighed and said,  
"I think. . .I am SO totally in love with you." Although pleased to hear him say that, Raven nodded then whispered,  
"Me too. . .So let's get one thing straight. I am NOT ashamed of you, or us. And I never will be. But this is all new for me. . .and I have a lot of adjusting to do. Especially. . .with my emotions. I want to try and be more open with you. . .but I need you to be patient with me. . .Ok?" The helpless tone in her voice caused him to reach out and take her by the hand.  
"Hey, I've waited this long for you. . .I'll wait forever if I have to. . ." Letting out a soft chuckle, Raven shook her head.  
"No. . .It won't be that long. But give me a little time. I'll come around. . .you'll see."

Although Beastboy wanted to believe that things were really different between him and Raven. . .He still wasn't quite convinced. Especially after the East group left, and it was just the five of then again. Without Terra. . .As he lie in his top bunk, Beastboy realized how much he was going to miss her. After all, she had been there for over a month. And even though she never did truly fit back into their team, he knew deep down that if it wasn't for her, he never would've found out the truth about how Raven really felt about him.  
Which was still so hard for him to believe. So much so, that it had him restlessly. tossing and turning in his top bunk until he couldn't stand it anymore. Jumping out of bed he decided that for now, he would just go in the front and watch TV. After all, with Cyborg asleep, this was the only time he'd ever get full control of the remote, or the video game for that matter!  
As Beastboy walked into Ops room, he froze to the unexpected sight of Raven sitting on the sofa. For a minute, it felt like he was engulfed over another time this had happened to him. A time when he was so vulnerable, heartbroken, and suddenly just as insecure as he was starting to feel right now.  
Raven never noticed him standing there, as usual she was too engrossed in her reading. That is, until she felt something fuzzy rub up against the bottom of her leg, causing her to jump.  
Startled, she looked down to find herself staring into the eyes of that same green cat, who she remembered so well! For a minute, it was like having a flashback of that special moment between the two of them, causing her to actually chuckle under her breath. Knowing good and well what he wanted, Raven set her book down. Shaking her head, she playfully whispered, "Uh Garfield. . .I really don't think that'll be necessary."  
In that instant, he morphed back into human form and grinned down at her. Pleased and relieved all at the same time, he gently muttered, "Good. Then scoot over. . ."  
As he went to hold her close, Raven inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. For deep down inside she knew that this was only the beginning, and that from this point on she'd be cuddling with him a whole lot more!


End file.
